Influences on the field of infant mental health

Influences on the field of infant mental health
Understanding of early childhood development has been influenced by
psychoanalytic theory, object relations theory, attachment theory and
developmental psychology. Infant research has contributed to an understanding
of the capacities of the newborn to interact with the environment and to
organise the self and experiences in an active way. Daniel Stern (1985) has
described infants as having a ‘pre-wired knowledge of the world’ or an innate
interactive capacity, which from birth promotes the development of an affective
relationship with the caregiver, and which is the basis of the sense of self. Stern
argues against more traditional psychoanalytic theories (such as Mahler, Pine & Bergman, 1975) who have described infancy as a period of unawareness or
‘autism’. Neurobiology and brain research demonstrate that the attachment
context of development, or the quality of the emotional relationship an infant
has with his primary caregivers directly influences brain growth and
development. Infants with ‘secure’ attachment relationships are more likely than
‘insecure’ infants to show optimal neuropsychological and social development.
It is also clear that a facilitating caregiving environment that is sensitive and
responsive to the infant’s needs promotes optimal neurological and
psychological development, such as learning, memory and self-regulation.
Systems theory and population mental health describe the effect of the family
system, and social and cultural factors on infant development through their
influence on the caregiving environment.