Play of mothers with babies: some relationships between maternal personality and early attachment and development processes.

Abstract

This article is a review of some of the ongoing research into the relationships among attachment, personality, and learning. The author emphasizes that the focus of research in the field of early childhood is moving into the area of early mother-child interactions. It is stressed that the child's initial approaches toward understanding his environment take place within the context of the continuing relationship with his mother. More subtle and precise techniques are needed for defining and exploring the nature and effects of the maternal personality on the development of the child. Present research and common sense point to the extreme importance of the earliest communications between mother and baby. Play is indicated as an irreplaceable early experience underlying the child's cognitive and linguistic development. The mother's physical and mental health, as well as her ability to involve herself with her baby are vital factors in the child's future learning styles and interactional patterns. Several studies are discussed which found high positive correlations between maternal personality and early interactional styles. The author strongly suggests that the implications of these findings and the significance of their predictive values warrant considerable further investigation.