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> From: brian j. callahan <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Maternal care
> Date: Monday, May 05, 1997 10:44 AM
>
> Juan writes:
> >If this is the biased, foul way the work of Attachment Theorists is
> >going to be construed, I will refrain from posting anything else on
> >the issue in future.
>
> Don't be so sensitive.  This is what happens in a public forum, which you
may
> now regret having started.
>
> >What I did say is that there are ways to early detection of
> >psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies in infants and preschoolers
> >and that psychiatric intervention in those cases might prevent
> >anti-social developments.
>
> Right, and Matthew raised the legitimate question of whether it would be
a
> good idea to have a small number of experts in psychology monitoring and
> intervening in child-rearing based on their (the experts') definitions of
> "anti-social" and "pathological."  Surely this not an outrageous
question,
> but rather one you would inevitably have to answer in order to convince
> people to go along with your ideas.
>
> >It couldn't be further from the truth to assert I ever mentioned
> >introducing new methods of childrearing. I only talked about
> >enhancing maternal care in a frivolous world where children are
> >reared by maids and au pair girls.
>
> I don't know the figures, but I would bet only a small proportion of the
> population is raised by maids and au pair girls because only a small
> percentage of families can afford them.

Thank you. I wondered who would raise this fact.

  More and more, of course, children
> of all socio-economic groups are spending a great deal of time in
day-care.
> What do you think the effect of that is on children?
>
> By the way, I lack a "scientific" grounding in this area, but I would
guess
> that in a more caring, less competetive society, more time and resources
> would be devoted to the rearing of children and this would probably have
a
> positive impact on their behavior as adults.