The mechanism of psychology treatment for children in the phase of survival (under age 5)

 

Understanding children’s developmental process of psychology helps understand the training and the treatment mechanisms of Youth Mind Training and Mother therapy. The psychological development process adopted by the Theory of Mimind may be different from those adopted by conventional fields of psychology and psychiatry. The concept of the process of psychological development is essential in designing and implementing the training and treatment methods of Youth Mind Training and Mother Therapy.

[The process of psychological development]
- Under age 5 : The phase of survival
- Age 5 to 13 : The phase of adaptation to relationships
- Age 13 to 20 : The phase of formation of self-identity
- Over age 20 : The phase of self-actualization

The psychology of children under age 5 is focused on survival, so their psychological problems are almost exclusively related with problems of survival. At this phase, children’s psychology centered on survival operates identically for girls and boys, so the overall analysis of psychology doesn’t have to be differentiated by gender. However, girls and boys express differently since girls activate feelings and boys activate moods, so only the analysis of expression must be differentiated for boys and girls.

1. The information that flows in is perceived as positive when it promotes survival, but it is perceived as negative when the information is related with insecurity for or threat to survival. The observation of children’s perception and expression relating them with survival can lead to the accurate analysis of their psychological conditions. Children’s psychology can be stabilized by providing stable environment for adequate survival.

2. Children at this phase store in their memory the information necessary for survival. The information stored in memory is categorized into ones that promote survival and ones that impede survival. New information that flows in from outside is perceived as positive or negative for survival after being compared with the information stored in memory. Children in this phase try to accommodate as much information as possible for perception and memory, which may be necessary for survival.

3. Children may express positively when they feel that adequate survival is guaranteed, but express negatively when they feel their survival is destabilized or threatened. Any expression made by children at this phase must be analyzed based on the standard of adequate survival.

The analysis of children’s psychology in the phase of survival must be based on whether the child perceives the information as positive or negative with reference to the standard of survival. Resolving the relevant issue of survival as perceived by the child is necessary and sufficient condition for restoring the child’s psychology.

Children begin to move on to the phase of adaptation to relationships around the age of 3, where relationships with people around them are categorized into positive and negative ones, and the adaptation to relationships becomes the most crucial factor in determining the psychological conditions and development. The analysis of children’s psychology between the age 3 to 5 must take consideration of not only survival but also adaptation to relationships.

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Korea Institute of Psycho-education : http://www.uip.ac/