Daniel Stern (psychologist) facts for kids

Daniel N. Stern (born August 16, 1934 – died November 12, 2012) was an important American psychologist. He studied how babies and children grow and develop. He was also a psychoanalyst, which means he helped people understand their thoughts and feelings. Stern wrote many books about infant development. His most famous book was The Interpersonal World of the Infant (1985). His work helped connect the study of the mind (psychoanalysis) with scientific research on how children develop.

About Daniel Stern

Daniel Stern was born in New York City. He studied at Harvard University from 1952 to 1956. He then went to Albert Einstein College of Medicine, becoming a doctor in 1960.

In 1961, Daniel Stern joined the Freedom Riders. This was a group of people, both Black and white, who rode buses together. They did this to protest against unfair laws that separated people by race in the southern United States.

He continued his studies, doing research on medicines that affect the mind from 1962 to 1964. In 1964, Stern decided to focus on psychiatry. This is a field of medicine that helps people with their mental health. He finished his training at Columbia University. In 1972, he began special training in psychoanalysis at Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research.

For over 30 years, he worked as a researcher and therapist. He focused on how children develop and how people's minds work.

In his research, he spent a lot of time watching babies. He also tried to understand how early experiences shape us. His work still helps us understand how children grow.

He was very well known for studying how mothers and babies form strong emotional connections. This research on "affective bonding" was a main part of his work.

Before he passed away, Stern was a special professor at the University of Geneva. He was also a professor at the Cornell University Medical School. He taught at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research.

He received special honorary doctorates from several universities. These included universities in Copenhagen, Palermo, and Stockholm. He was also a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters starting in 2004.

Daniel Stern died in Geneva, Switzerland, at age 78. He passed away from heart failure. He was still actively working on new research just a few months before his death.

His Ideas on Development

Daniel Stern's most important work focused on mothers and infants.

How the Self Develops

In his book The Interpersonal World of the Infant, Stern suggested that babies develop in stages. These stages build on each other. He described four main "senses of self" that babies develop:

• The emergent self: This forms from birth to about two months old. It's when a baby starts to feel like a whole person.
• The core self: This develops between two and six months. At this stage, babies learn to interact with others. They see their mother as someone who helps them feel calm and safe.
• The subjective self: This forms between seven and fifteen months. Here, babies start to share feelings and experiences with their mother. The mother might playfully change her actions to match the baby's feelings.
• The verbal self: This appears during the second year of life, when language starts. Babies can now use words to connect with others. This adds a new way of relating to the world.

Later, Stern added two more stages to his ideas about the self:

• The core self-with-another: This comes before the subjective self.
• The narrative self: This develops from the verbal self. It's about how children start to tell stories about themselves.

Stern explained that the "narrative self" develops around age three or four. Children begin to understand the world through stories. They use stories to explain why people do things. When a child tells their own story, they are creating their identity. However, if their stories are very different from what really happened, it can cause problems.

The Motherhood Constellation

In his book The Motherhood Constellation, Stern described something important. He called it the "motherhood constellation." This is a mother's natural focus and strong devotion to her baby. He believed this focus is very important for the child's healthy development.

Proto-Narratives

In 1995, Stern introduced the idea of "proto-narrative envelopes." These are like stories without words. They are early experiences between a mother and baby that have a beginning, middle, and end. They create a sense of drama or tension. These "tiny narratives" help babies understand how things unfold.

Stern also talked about "ports of entry" for helping mothers and babies. These are different ways to understand their relationship. They include:

• How the mother sees herself.
• How the mother sees her baby.
• How the baby sees himself or herself.
• How the baby sees the mother.

All these points are important when trying to help a mother and baby who are having difficulties.

See also

• Wilfred Bion: Reverie
• Stern's tripartite self