Coconstructing Mother—Infant Distress: The Microsynchrony of Maternal Impingement and Infant Avoidance in the Face-to-Face Encounter

IN THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE, the infant shows a remarkable range of aversion, withdrawal, and avoidance, but not hatred. Using Lichtenberg's (this volume) definitions of hatred, such as detest, abhor, ill will, vengeance, and retaliation, we will see that it is not possible for the infant to have these emotions until there is a symbolic mind. Therefore, in the infant I will be addressing aversion and avoidance, but not hatred, based on analyses of face-to-face play at approximately three to four months of life. In one sense, infant aversion and withdrawal are completely usual and adaptive coping capacities. From time to time all infants look away and turn away in order to regulate arousal back down to a comfortable range. On the other hand, more extreme forms of infant aversion and withdrawal can be observed, particularly in relation to maternal overstimulation and intrusion. The mother of course is capable of hatred, but in the range of disturbances I see, most mothers want to love their babies. Maternal hatred is extremely rare. What is not rare, however, and is of utmost importance to the origins of early psychopathology, is maternal intrusion and impingement. Other potential pictures of early