Abstract

ANJOS, Erika Gomes dos et al. Children's strabismus: reflections on the construction of the look. Rev. Subj. [online]. 2022, vol.22, n.1, pp.1-15. ISSN 2359-0769.  https://doi.org/10.5020/23590777.rs.v22i1.e11462.

Psychoanalysis defends the importance of looking as a channel that promotes parent-child relational exchanges, an affective construction that impacts the subjective constitution of the baby. The child's welcoming is also given by the maternal and paternal look, which bathes their body with affection, allowing the child's needs to be met or not, according to the interpretation of the agents of specularization about the baby's signs. From the mother's point of view, the baby's gaze evokes affective experiences in herself, such as anguish, pleasure, and gratification. Although the function of looking can be constructed even without the support of the vision, we argue that a visual misalignment can impact relational exchanges, warning about the importance of looking, as a construction, for the subjective constitution of the baby. This article develops reflections on the construction of the look in mother-baby dyads in the context of childhood strabismus. Five mothers of cross-eyed babies, from six to twelve months old, were interviewed. Mothers noticed the visual change, especially during breastfeeding. Despite the psychic impact, with feelings of guilt, frustration, and anxiety, most did not become paralyzed in the face of anguish and sought support. They seem to have little or no space for listening to health professionals, although they felt relief from anxiety from consultations with clarification and treatment possibilities. Although this research does not indicate elements of an etiological nature, strabismus may involve a psychic dimension in the initial exchanges that should not be neglected. Professionals involved with early childhood are encouraged to listen to maternal and paternal ambivalence in exchanges with the baby, seeking to observe the quality of the interaction through the look, which indicates the affective climate of the pair/triad, the basis for child integration.

Keywords : mother-child relationships; strabismus; looking; specular function; psychoanalysis.

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