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February 13, 1968. MOTHER-INFANT INTERACTION: FORMS OF FEEDING. Sylvia Brody, Ph.D. and Sidney Axelrad, D.S.Sc.
Drs. Brody and Axelrad demonstrated with films the effects of various types of maternal behavior on infants. They ascribe paramount importance to maternal behavior during feeding because no other single aspect reflects the mother's total relationship to her baby so well. Classification of maternal behavior was based on three clinical parameters: empathy, control, and efficiency; and to their consistency (high, moderate, and low) during the course of feeding. According to these criteria and their assessment, the authors could divide the mothers into seven groups. Mothers of Group I illustrated optimal maternal feeding behavior; mothers of Group II were similarly empathic and efficient but often acted in response to their own needs rather than those of the infant; mothers of Groups III, IV, and V lacked sensitivity to the needs of their infants and showed other inadequacies; in mothers of Group VI, efficiency was emphasized: they satisfied their infants' hunger but with undue emotional neutrality; mothers of Group VII showed unstable empathic behavior, were erratic in their responsiveness, and often inefficient.