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ThisÌýmoduleÌýis an introduction to psychoanalytic thinking about infancy and the caregiver-child relationship, with particular attention to the ideas of key thinkers in the field: Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, MelanieÌýKleinÌýand Donald Winnicott.ÌýÌý

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Each of these key thinkers developed their own theories, based in their interests, their backgroundÌýinfluencesÌýand their individual clinical experience. They each created new concepts and techniques and at the time the differences between them were sometimes a source of significant tension and disagreement. Over time it has become possible to re-consider the theories of each of the key thinkers, to be interested in their differences and to think about how these might help us with our clinical approaches today.Ìý

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The term is designed to be an initial study and does not assume any prior knowledge of the subject. There are ten lectures each followed by a workshop where students participate in reviewing their learning about the key concepts raised in the lecture.ÌýÌý

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Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes for this module are:

• To build an introductory understanding of some key psychoanalytic concepts about the role of unconscious processes and dynamics, in infancy and the caregiver-child relationship, and their historical development.
• To learn how similar theoretical beginnings and interests in specific clinical phenomena can inspire the development of different theoretical approaches in psychoanalysis, in the work of four key thinkers: Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott.
• To be able to link thinking about psychoanalytic theories of infancy and the caregiver-child relationship with contemporary clinical practice in child psychotherapy with children and young people.
• To be interested in exploring the importance of aspects of diversity and difference on the development of psychoanalytic theories, about the role of unconscious processes and dynamics in infancy and the caregiver-child relationship.Ìý

The module will lay the theoretical foundations for the ‘Applied Psychoanalytic Concepts’ module.