Social Work Examination Services (SWES) Human Behavior Practice Test

What stage, according to Mahler, is characterized by the child's sense of the mother as a separate individual?

1. Autism

2. Symbiosis

3. Practicing

4. Rapprochement

The correct answer is: Symbiosis

The stage characterized by the child's sense of the mother as a separate individual is the symbiotic phase. In Mahler’s psychoanalytic theory of child development, the symbiotic phase occurs early in the first year of life and is marked by an intense emotional attachment between the child and the mother. During this stage, the child is not yet fully aware of the mother as a distinct and separate entity; instead, there is a fusion in their experiences. As the child progresses through development, they begin to recognize that the mother is an individual separate from themselves. This awareness typically occurs later, in the practicing phase, where the child explores the world while still feeling tied to the mother, and even more distinctly in the rapprochement phase, wherein the child further asserts independence but still seeks the mother's approval and presence. The other options represent different developmental stages that highlight various aspects of the child's growing autonomy and relationship to the mother, but they do not specifically denote the stage when the child first recognizes the mother as a separate being. The correct answer encapsulates a crucial component of Mahler's work, emphasizing the initial sense of connection before the child fully realizes separation and individuality.