Abstract

RHODE, Maria. Joining the human family.Translated byTania Mara Zalcberg. Rev. bras. psicanál [online]. 2015, vol.49, n.3, pp. 130-150. ISSN 0486-641X.

The phenomena of neonatal imitation and of mutual imitation by mother and baby in the service of attunement are discussed in relation to the infant's developing sense of self and experience of belonging. Links are proposed to the psychoanalytic concept of primary identification, as well as to psychoanalytic theories of mirroring, imitation and introjective identification. It is suggested that developmental imitation presupposes a balance between the position of the actual baby and that of the mother's supposed internal occupant. This balance is seen as underlying introjective identification and the assimilation of experience, leading to an enriched sense of identity. In contrast, in the kind of imitation involving mimicry, adhesive or projective identification may be operative. These hypotheses are illustrated with material from infant observation and from the treatment of two children on the autistic spectrum.

Keywords : autism; eye contact; imitation; internalization; mirroring; primary identification; sense of self.

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