Premium
Loss and replacement: Intergenerational dynamics related to a two–year–old
Author(s) -
Twomey Jean E.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(199522)16:2<144::aid-imhj2280160208>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - sister , daughter , brother , medicine , pediatrics , psychology , sociology , evolutionary biology , anthropology , biology
A 27‐month‐old boy was referred to the outpatient infant psychiatry program of a hospital following a routine pediatric check‐up that was significant for staring spells, regression in language development, and social withdrawal from his parents. This child was born within a year of the death of his brother, who unexpectedly died shortly after birth. There had been another unanticipated death in the family in the preceding generation when the father's sister had been killed in an automobile accident in late adolescence. The paternal grandmother, whose pathological mourning for her daughter and infant grandson significantly influenced this family, in effect contributed to replacement dynamics being prominent across two generations. Issues related to perinatal loss, unresolved mourning, and replacement dynamics were central to shaping the parent guidance work that was offered to the parents as a component of their son's treatment.