ABSTRACT
‘If a child acquires the knowledge and understanding of who it is by virtue of its dependent and continuing relationships to significant other people, then we must assume that such identity determinations are also rooted in the child’s experience with rooms, clothes, playthings, and an entire range of objects and spaces that also support its existence. Certainly this inanimate world is ever present and inherent in the child’s interactions and relationships with significant other people. In effect, children learn to view themselves as distinct from the physical environment as well as from other people and do so by learning their relationships to various objects, spaces, and places including ownership, exclusion, limited access, and so on. Certain spaces and places, because they are “owned”, familiar, and useful can be controlled, satisfy and maintain the integrity of the child’s sense of self, including the definition of that self.’
