Journal Abstracts
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A number of studies have suggested that maternal detachment is common in tropical societies which suffer from high infant mortality. The author's own research revealed evidence of both detachment and positive affect. She suggests that maternal behavior in all societies can be best characterized as exhibiting maternal ambivalence.
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The cosmologies of many cultures use gender as symbolic for polar attributes of human consciousness. The author presents a developmental neurobiological theory to account for the non-arbitrary way in which this attribution comes about, and applies the theory to an explanation of the symbolic use of gender in Tibetan tantric Buddhism. He concludes by discussing the implications of the theory for understanding the effects of positive and negative pre- and perinatal experiences upon the development of gender identity.
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Though there is mounting demand by students for information about Pre- and Peri-Natal Psychology there is no such course being offered at a recognized university at this time. The authors, in an attempt to facilitate discussion on this subject and eventual implementation have prepared a course outline.
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This article provides an historical overview of the history of midwives in the United States from the seventeenth century to the present. Brief background information on the period prior to 1600 is included. The article shows how a profession that was traditionally considered to be "women's business" came to be dominated by a predominately male medical establishment.
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Advances in modern medicine in recent years have resulted in a remarkable increase in the number of human infants who survive a premature birth. Many of these infants undergo stressful perinatal and prenatal experiences, and require special care and attention in order for their physical and mental development to be optimal. If that goal is to be met, care-givers need to receive feedback from the infants, indicating how they are affected by treatment and stimulation. In this study, preterm infants displayed behavioral differentiation of various tactile stimuli.
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The significance of parent-infant holding for infant development is emphasized from a psychobiological point of view as an essential ingredient of bonding. The theoretical perspective of direct perception in a perceiver-environment ecosystem (Gibson) is discussed together with current findings in infant research, as they may apply to explain how differential parent-infant holding patterns influence the infant's perception of his environment. Impacts of holding patterns on parent-infant-interaction are also mentioned. General qualities of facilitating holding patterns are elaborated.
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The development of narcissism and masochism is examined by utilizing new data from movement observation, in general, and from observations and notation of fetal movement, in particular. This has led to the recognition that fetal movements are motor precursors of psychic functioning. The suggestion is made that both narcissism and masochism have their Anlage in utero. Because the fetus primarily grows and achieves progressive integration, the ratio between his integration and self-destruction favors the former.
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As with most primates, optimal development in infancy proceeds with a high degree of intimacy and interaction between infants and caretakers. Human infants are less developed at birth than most primates because of selection for a greater percentage of brain growth to take place after birth than in utero.
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Infant development among the Baganda of Uganda is discussed from a sociocultural perspective. Cross-cultural examples which illustrate cultural effects on infant behavior are presented. In particular, the area of sensorimotor development is examined by means of a social survey, direct observations and formal testing during the Muganda infant's first six or eight months of life. The pattern of advancement found supports the view that parental values and childcare behaviors influence rate of infant sensorimotor development.
