The child's first movements are aimless, but soon the impressions
it receives by striking hands and feet against soft and hard
things bring about a dim knowledge of the boundaries of itself,
and the kinesthetic impulses from joints and muscles help this
knowledge. The outside world commences to separate itself from
the "me," though both are vague and shadowy. Soon it learns that
one part of the outside world is able to satisfy its hunger, to
supply a need, and it commences to recognize the existence of
benevolent outside agencies; and it also learns little by little
that its instinctive cries bring these agencies to it. I do not
mean that the baby has any internal language corresponding to the
idea of outside agency, benevolence, etc., but it gets to know
that its cries are potent, that a breast brings relief and
satisfaction. At first it cries, the breast comes, there is
relief and satisfaction, and it makes no connection or no
connection is made between these events of outer and inner
origin. But the connection is finally made,--desire becomes
definitely articulate in the cry of the baby, which thus becomes
a plea and a summons. Anticipation of good to come appears and
with it the germ of hope and forward looking, and there is
realization or disappointment, joy or anger or sorrow. Thus
desire is linked up with satisfaction in a definite way, ideas
and feelings of demand and supply begin to appear and perhaps
power itself, in the vague notion, "I can get milk," commences to
be felt. Social life starts when the child associates the mother
with the milk, with the desire and the satisfaction. In the
relationship established between mother and baby is the first
great social contact; love, friendship, discipline, teaching and
belief have their origin when, at the mother's breast, the child
separates its mother from the rest of the things of the world.
And not only in the relief of hunger is the mother active, but
she gets to be associated with the relief from wet and irritating
clothes, the pleasant bath, and the pleasure of the change of
position that babies cry for. Her bosom and her arms become
sources of pleasure, and the race has immortalized them as
symbolic of motherhood, in song, in story and in myth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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