Control and Autonomy of Infants

Control and Autonomy of Infantsrn(Vinod Anand)

Parents everywhere set limits on their infants’ behavior. If they did not, there could be no more babies, since babies creep and toddle right into danger, whether it be off the platform of a house built on poles over the sea or under a station wagon parked in the driveway. There are always dangers to be kept from exploring fingers and mouths, too—a dung fire in the corner, incense burning before a household god, an electric socket. Little fingers and mouths have to be prevented from destroying precious objects, such as a threaded loom, a clay water pot, or a piece o Steuben glass.
Cultures vary widely in whether babies are expected to learn self-control from the limits placed on their behavior, In some societies, keeping the baby safe is just that and no more. Somebody is expected to look out for him during his early years to see that he does himself no harm. But in many societies, including the American culture, keeping safe is, of course, a prime motive, but a variety of other aims makes for a wide range of practices.
One dimension of parent—child behavior is autonomy-control or permissiveness-restrictiveness. Parents vary according to how strict or permissive they are with children, or how much autonomy they permit, versus how much they try to control the child. Some parents permit wide autonomy, others a little less; some are very controlling, others somewhat controlling. Parents vary on this dimension within the same culture, and cultures also vary in autonomy-control in adult—child relationships. The teaching manual Soviet Preschool Education spells out, for example, that the child at 18 months should be taught not to take toys away from others, not to interfere with them, to sit at a table calmly, to obey adults, to feed himself neatly, to wash his hands, to pull up his socks and overalls... and more. Probably most Americans would think that this picture presents a great deal of control and not much permissiveness for autonomy.
Ideals in America are probably more diverse than they are in the Soviet Union. Individual freedom and self-expression, however, are high on the lists of many people. The development of a strong sense of autonomy, according to Erikson requires freedom for a toddler to make choices and planning by adults that will ensure a large proportion of successful choices. Thus the toddler comes to feel, “1 can decide” and “What I choose is all right.” Some confirmation of the importance of autonomy in infancy for later personality development is offered by longitudinal study on infants and their mothers. During the infancy period, the mothers of the babies were observed and rated on how much autonomy they permitted and how much they tried to control their children. For example, would the mother let the baby decide when he had had enough to eat, or would she try to get him to take more? When the children reached preschool age, they were rated on a number of personality characteristics, and these ratings correlated with the mothers’ autonomy-control behavior. Significant correlations were found, showing that there were relations between the mothers’ behavior during infancy and the children’s preschool behavior. Another study indicates that boy babies and girl babies react differently, in terms of their intellectual development, to opportunities for autonomy and the degree of control given by their mothers.
Adaptations in the home which make possible the permission of wide limits include the provision of spaces where little damage can result from play and exploration. Fussy, breakable objects can be put away. Furniture can be upholstered or slip-covered in tough, washable fabrics. Floor coverings and draperies can be of relatively indestructible materials. A baby is able to creep in this kind of room without hurting himself or anything else. A toddler climbs, explores, runs his cars, and pushes a doll carriage. The bathroom can be arranged so that a toddler can climb steps in front of the washbasin and there enjoy freedom with water play. Some of the cupboards in the kitchen may offer young children freedom to pull out pots and pans and perhaps put them back again.