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This report of work which still continues is based on Kris's interests in longitudinal studies and is presented by his co-workers. The environmental influences in a child's development may reinforce inborn equipment or predisposition or they may act in the opposite direction. The investigation relates to Kris's formulation that the child might have different personality characteristics and adaptations if his predispositions were reinforced than if they were toned down by the environment.
Two girls of observed differing dispositions interacting with mothers of markedly differing personalities were the subject of study (by multiple observers representing differing disciplines), from birth for a period of several years. Predictions were made at each step in the study. Evelyne's early needs were easily met and did not impinge upon the mother's deep conflicts. they seemed to dovetail with the mother's best established defences. The balance of the child's perceptual and discharge apparatus enabled her to utilize the object flexibility for gratification. This balance and the particular type of maternal care facilitated her capacity to accept substitute and illusory gratifications. Margaret, because of her sensitivity and irritability, was a difficult child to comfort. This characteristic collided forcibly with the mother's deepest conflicts. Thus the close empathic tie which could later lead to successful internalization was hampered. While Evelyne developed a capacity to use identification as adaptation rather than as a defence, Margaret's early identification processes tended to be fixated at an imitative level, warding off latent trends to respond to new situations with the painful overflow of irritable responses characteristic of her early sensitivity. The child's ability to identify with those aspects of the (later) comforting mother was thus interfered with. It is possible that the imitative behaviour became a special instance of externalization, i.e. the