Meetings of the New York Psychoanalytic Society

February 23, 1971. DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNG CHILD AS EXPRESSED THROUGH BODILY MOVEMENT. Judith S. Kestenberg, M.D. with H. Marcus, E. Robbins, J. Berlowe, A. Buelte.

Dr. Kestenberg and her group described how certain motor patterns follow an organized maturational sequence influencing, and being influenced by, libidinal phase development. Brief film sequences of children's motions and hand demonstrations of types of motions were shown.

The two basic concepts are 'flow of tension' and 'flow of shape'. Flow of tension refers to muscle tension, which is divided into 'free', unrestricted energy flow, and 'bound', which is controlled and restricted. Flow of shape refers to the body growing or shrinking in size, and growing toward or shrinking away from objects. Dr. Kestenberg's thesis is that coördination of these patterns is important for phase appropriate drive discharge and object relatedness. Each phase of development can be considered in light of these concepts. In the neonatal phase, the primary task is the beginning integration of these patterns, centering around feeding and organized by the mother. Growing toward or away from, enlarging and shrinking during the feeding and swallowing process, are organized by mother and child successfully or unsuccessfully.

During the oral stage 'communication' with the mother is the primary task. Free tensions mold mother and child together; bound tensions cause narrowing and shrinking away from each other during the oral sadistic subphase. Late in this phase, the hand becomes the extension of both the mouth and the mother, and prehensile movements replace global shape changes. Space extends further in the horizontal plane with the use of the eyes, tongue, and hand, and concepts of distance begin.

For the anal phase, the task is development of the 'ideational content of self and object'. Motor rhythms of this phase are at first smooth; low tension games such as peek-a-boo are typical. Later, squatting and squeezing in