Sullivan

Question 1

main components of Sullivan’s theory

Answer 1

Essentially, Sullivan is attempting to describe the subjective experience of babies. He believes infants are born with the biological need for security, they are incapable of satisfying their needs by themselves, and they feel anxious when these needs are not met.

Question 2

anxiety (Sullivan)

Answer 2

-If the mother can’t satisfy the baby’s needs, she feels anxious –> baby feels mom’s anxiety empathically –> increased anxiety in the baby (feels the world is not a safe, secure place)
-Child develops the drive for power to say that infant does not need mom anymore –> power-struggle with mom because what is the infant going to do on its own? he/she is helpless

Question 3

view of symptoms (Sullivan)

Answer 3

-child’s attempts to decrease anxiety
-mother causes anxiety in the child –> child wants to move away from mom and become more independent –> child fears will lose mom’s love if becomes independent
-drive for power –> both increases and decreases anxiety

Question 4

disinterested interest

Answer 4

unselfish love of the mother for her child; child loved for who they are, unconditional love - not dependent on what the child does

Question 5

prototaxic

Answer 5

1st mode of experiencing the world
-infant does not discriminate between the self and world
-experiences that are impossible to describe or communicate to others
-corresponds to Freud’s primary process

Question 6

parataxic

Answer 6

2nd mode of experiencing the world
-distorted viewpoint of the world – child sees himself at the center of the world/self-focused
-experiences that are prelogical

Question 7

syntaxic

Answer 7

3rd mode of experiencing the world
-mutually consensual validation
-experience the world as others do
-relatively few people make it to this stage (e.g., people with mental disorders cannot make it to this stage because they always have to rely on others to take care of them)
-experiences that can be accurately communicated to others, characterized by logical thinking

Question 8

infant attachment literature

Answer 8

in support of Sullivan’s ideas:
1) attachment forms in the first year of life and is relatively stable over time –> this is related to the quality of parenting
2) Secure vs. anxious attachment: developing secure attachment as a child is stable over time (possible to go from anxious to secure, but takes a lot of effort)
3) Very influential for later personality and adjustment: attachment at age 1 produces benefits in the future (e.g., secure attachment at age 1 leads to success in elementary school, high school)