Phenomenology and Childhood: the child’s right to be what she is

Abstract

MACHADO, Marina Marcondes. Phenomenology and Childhood: the child’s right to be what she is. R. Educ. Públ. [online]. 2013, vol.22, n.49, suppl.01, pp.249-264. ISSN 2238-2097.

This reflection considers psychoanalyst D. W. Winnicott’s ideas of the true self and correlates them with philosopher Merleau-Ponty’s notions of childhood, in order to reaffirm the importance of authenticity in early childhood and warn about the dangers of inauthenticity, an artificial approach that would strengthen the child’s false self. The author discusses the difficulty contemporary adults have in immersing themselves in the shared moment during the child’s early infancy; their difficulty is revealed by the excessive use of intermediaries and brokers, techniques, cultural objects, books, and experts who know it all.

Keywords : True Self; False Self; Adult-Child Relationship; The Capacity to be Alone.

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