Clinical Commentary VI (Infant Observation)

[In this section a short piece of clinical material from an actual session is presented with a brief introduction about the case. The material as published here was sent ‘blind’ to three people who represent different psychotherapeutic schools of thought. They have been asked to comment on the material and the approach of the therapist in the session. The intention in putting these commentaries side by side is to compare the approaches of the different schools in order to facilitate the understanding of alternative terminologies and modes of practice.]

The family live in a poorly-kept house in a rather poor area. However their flat is well decorated and furnished. Although it is often untidy they clearly take an interest in the home and choose the decorations, furnishings etc. with care. The flat consists basically of two large rooms so Jimmy did not have a room to himself. They were trying to look for a larger flat, which they could afford but the smallness of the accommodation seemed to me to reflect the closeness of the relationships between the members of the family.

Jimmy is the first child of young parents, delivered by Caesarean section some two weeks early. There had originally been some doubt about Mother's fertility but she had ‘disproved’ that by becoming pregnant the first month they tried for a baby. She is a plump woman in her early twenties, who greeted me without fuss or self-consciousness when I first met her in the hospital. She was a woman of average intelligence with excellent commonsense and intuitive sensitivity to Jimmy.

Father was present only very occasionally. He was a small man, shorter than Mother, with a working-class background and a grammar-school education. He was very proud of Jimmy and imagined with pride what an active strong boy he would grow up to be. He was extremely courteous to me on the occasions when we met but seemed embarrassed on the one occasion when he was giving Jimmy the bottle.

Jimmy was breast-fed, I