On the subject of attachment and loss, and the reactions of infants
and young children to separation from their mothers, I'd like to
recommend the groundbreaking work of James (1911-1988)and Joyce
(1919- ) Robertson, social worker/psychoanalysts who worked with
Anna Freud in the Hampstead Nurseries with wartime children in London
in the 1940's.
They initially made a film called "A two year Old Goes to
Hospital," (1952) which showed the stages of grief that a child went
through when separated from her mother for a brief hospitalization.
This was followed by another film, "A Two Year Old Goes to Hospital
With Mother," which documented the difference when a parent stayed
with the child during a hospitalization. These films led to the
changes in hospital visitation policies around the world. The
Robertsons went on to document the effects of separation in other
situations (such as when a mother had to be hospitalized), noting
differences between preverbal children and those who could speak, and
situations when the child was placed in day care with multiple
caregivers, vs in a loving home (their own) with a stable caregiver
and lots of attention to supporting the child's grieving. These
children ranged in age from 17 months to 2 years 5 months old. The
films are very painful to watch, but have lots of dramatic images.
You can learn more about these films at http://www.robertsonfilms.info/
Their work is described in their 1989 book called "Separation and the
Very Young." There are pictures in that, too. On the above web
site, under "Background to Brief Separation," you can read the
history of research in this area, including mention of John Bowlby,
Anna Freud, and others.
More background material is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
James_Robertson_(psychoanalyst)
I used to show these films to my student nurses in Pediatric Nursing,
back in the 1970's. They are unforgettable images of protest -
dispair - denial following separation of young children from their
mothers.
This was before the interest in breastfeeding, and doesn't deal with
that. But there is still lots to learn from the Roberstsons' work.
Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC, LLL
[log in to unmask]
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
|