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Joan Fleming, the chairman, initiated the panel proceedings by calling attention to the innovation of a continuity of theme at three successive panel meetings. This arrangement has made it possible to dynamically correlate observed behavior at different stages of the life cycle with theoretical concepts. The collaboration helps to undo the isolation in our thinking that is epitomized in the semantic "identity confusion" of the terms "child analyst" and "adult analyst." This Panel, the third, focused on the influence of separation-individuation as a process on the periods of maturity and senescence in an attempt to compare the impact on these periods of life with the earlier periods of childhood, adolescence, and youthful adulthood.
Albert J. Solnit, chairman of the panel dealing with infancy and childhood and the separation-individuation process, expected that the differing senses of time of the adult, the adolescent, and the child would be reflected in the panel's discussions. Time moves rapidly for the adult. The slower movement for the child is demonstrated by his poor tolerance of separation. Separateness causes discomfort because of the child's limited ability to hold on to the mental representation of the adult love-object for very long while the love object is absent. Individuation, on the other hand, proceeds more rapidly for the child, whereas the periodic review that advances individuation for the adult occurs slowly.
Solnit added that a continuity of affectionate bonds is crucial for the achievement of autonomy by the child. This sense of continuity is also essential for learning, memory, adaptation, planning and preparing for the future, and to give meaning to life—regardless of cultural differences. Concurrent