Surfacing the depths: thoughts on imitation, resonance and growth
This paper examines some of the research on imitation that shows it to be much more than simply a behavioural or reflex response, but rather an aspect of the growth of genuine social and psychological interaction and part of an intersubjective process that includes the representation of object relationships. Differentiations between mind, behaviour and emotion may no longer stand up in the light of much of the new neuroscientific and other research of recent years, and the fact that thoughts and feelings have physiological and neuronal correlates. I will look at some of research about ‘mirror neurons' as a way of trying to bridge such gaps. I will try to integrate some of these thoughts in an extended clinical example of a 4-year-old girl with some autistic features who was seen for intensive psychotherapy. In this I will examine the role of affect attunement, imitation, mirroring and the need to amplify emotional states as part emotional development.
Keywords: Einstimmung; Imitation; Kindesentwicklugn; Nachahmung; Resonanz; Spiegelneuronen; Spiegelung; accordage; attunement; child development; développement de l'enfant; imitazione; mirror neurons; mirroring; neurones miroir; neuroni a specchio; renvoi en miroir; resonance; risonanza; rispecchiamento; résonance; sintonizzazione; sviluppo infantile
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: London
Publication date: 01 April 2005
- Editorial Board
- Information for Authors
- Subscribe to this Title
- Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content