The first 2-3 years of life are so formative that the most
fundamental and elementary ways that someone experiences and
interacts with the world are set. Personality changes throughout
life, but less and less so. How the child deals with separation
from the mother and his or her own sense of self lays a
foundation for all later development. What qualities of being
are required to move through the stages of development for the
first 2-3 years of life? And what happens when some of these
qualities are not fully present? Basically, according to depth
psychology the infant starts on a ‘merged with the mother state’
for the first 6 months or so. From there the baby begins a
process of separating and individuating from the mother until
2-3 years old. The merged state that the child starts with is
like a childhood enlightenment. There is little sense of
difference or separation. It has a blissful quality that is
sometimes interrupted by physical and emotional needs. How these
needs are dealt with sets an initial and