Understanding the Calamities of Childhood

"the lifespan. How one navigates challenges from childhood can either favorably or unfavorably impact a person's life. Fortunately, self-exploration and working through the past can often be helpful. Unfortunately, a lot can go wrong in a child's development. In the field of child psychology, we call them adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Some ACEs include natural disasters, loss of a loved one, housing instability,"

"On the other hand, a lot can go right in childhood if the child is brought up in a loving and consistent household and without unexpected negative events. Even in these households, there are many challenges to overcome, however. This post is about the difficulties that every child must experience. They are known as the calamities of childhood and were conceived of by the American psychoanalyst Charles Brenner, who built on the much earlier works of Freud."

Early childhood experiences shape mental and physical health across the lifespan. Navigating childhood challenges can produce favorable or unfavorable life outcomes, and self-exploration and working through the past can be helpful. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as natural disasters, bereavement, and housing instability can contribute to trauma and elevate later health risks. Supportive, loving, and consistent caregiving can promote resilience, but developmental difficulties still occur. Charles Brenner identified inherent developmental dilemmas called the calamities of childhood. Infancy involves fear of abandonment intensified by undeveloped object permanence, and later emerging awareness of caregivers’ separateness leads to the gradual development of trust.

Read at www.psychologytoday.com