Psychoanalytic and Anthropological Perspectives on Childhood

1 Course Unit

How do people become who they are, both similar to others and uniquely individual? How might these similarities and differences be shaped by childhood experiences in family, community, and societies around the world? How do children develop emotionally? Morally? What features of human development, expression of emotions, and relational patterns are universal for our species? What features are not universal? And what is and is not known about these questions? In this course, we will consider these and many other questions. We will read about and discuss complex and dynamic interactions between culture and individual psychology, and between nature and nurture from birth to adulthood. We will carefully examine various phases of human development as described by psychoanalysts and anthropologists. The course includes anthropologic and psychoanalytic readings and videotapes, as well as literature, fairy tales, and mythologies from cultures around the world. The instructors are both psychoanalysts, one a psychiatrist and one a pediatrician. The course counts towards the Psychoanalytic Studies (PSYS) Minor. Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit