"The Pyschological Birth of the Human Infant.
Summary: The psychological birth of the human infant is not coincidental to the actual birthing in which a mother and child are physically separated one from another. Rather, the psychological birth of a child is a dynamic process which slowly evolves. This article refers to this "birth" as the separation-individuation process. This process allows for a separation from and a relation to a world of reality and how one experiences it through one's own body and the primary love object. Separation and individuation forms a duality that is needed to be a complete and healthy psychological human being.
Analysis: Margaret Mahler suggests that the principal psychological achievements of the separation-individuation process take place in a period from about the fourth or fifth month to the thirtieth or the thirty-sixth month, a period she refers to as the "separation-individuation phase." This intense period of growth coincides with another developmental theory purported by structural linguists. The theory is called the "critical age theory." This theory states that a child forms most of their ability to communicate verbally and acquires most of the their skills needed to interact with the world of reality that surrounds them. A question to consider: if there is no primary love object that serves as a beacon to the infant, does the infant then acquire a distorted sense of self and others forever? In other words, if a child is not exposed to a healthy environment, i.e. a neglected child, is it possible to correct the situation after this critical age has passed or are the personality development deficiencies permanent?.
Applications: This article's arguments, although mainlt psycho-analytical in nature, can be applied to some characters in fictionalized literature. It is after all, a familiar story with a regurgitated plot. For example, a newborn is abandoned or an orphan is dropped off on the steps of the church.