Chapter Introduction

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Early Emotions

Toddlers’ Emotions

Brain and Emotions

Temperament

OPPOSING PERSPECTIVES: Mothers or Genes?

Synchrony

Attachment

Insecure Attachment and the Social Setting

Social Referencing

Fathers as Social Partners

A CASE TO STUDY: Can We Bear This Commitment?

Psychoanalytic Theory

Behaviorism

Cognitive Theory

Many Choices, Many Cultures

A VIEW FROM SCIENCE: The Mixed Realities of Center Day Care

A Stable, Familiar Pattern

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CHAPTER 4

The First Two Years

The Social World

WHAT WILL YOU KNOW?

  • Do smiles replace tears as babies grow older?

  • Can you tell whether toddlers have bonded with their mothers?

  • Are emotions inborn or learned?

  • Is exclusive maternal care best for babies?

Video: The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development

My daughter Bethany came to visit her newest nephew, Isaac, 7 months old. She had visited him many times before, always expressing joy and excitement with her voice, face, and hands. By 2 months, he always responded in kind, with big smiles and waving arms, to her delight. But this time he was more hesitant, and looked away, nuzzling on his mother. Later Bethany tried again, and this time he kept looking and smiling.

“You like me now,” she said.

“He always liked you, he was just tired,” said Elissa, his mother.

“I know,” Bethany told her. “I didn’t take it personally.”

I appreciated both daughters. Elissa sought to reassure Bethany, and Bethany knew that Isaac’s reaction was not really to her, although she wished that he had not turned away. But the person I appreciated most was Isaac, responsive to people as well-loved babies should be, but wary and seeking maternal comfort as he grew closer to a year. Emotions change month by month in the first two years; ideally caregivers change with them.

This chapter opens by tracing infants’ emotions as their brains mature and their experiences accumulate. Next we explore caregiver–infant interaction, particularly synchrony, attachment, and social referencing, and some theories that explain those developments

Finally we explore a controversy: Who should be infant caregivers and how should they respond? Families and cultures answer this question in many ways. Fortunately, as this chapter explains, despite diversity of temperament and caregiving, most people thrive, as long as their basic physical and emotional needs are met. Isaac, Elissa, and Bethany are all thriving.