Sue Gerhardt is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and the author of Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain.
The book presents evidence that babies' brains develop differently in the first few months of life depending on the amount and type of care they receive in that time. The evidence suggests that the pre-frontal cortex and, within that, the orbitofrontal area are stimulated and interconnect more powerfully when a child is demonstrably loved. The advantage of postive development is increased confidence and an ability to empathy with others. Neglect can lead to increased anxiety, insensitivity and aggression.
The findings have political implications, since the demand for parents to reduce the time they spend with their child because of work commitments leads to an increased emphasis on institutional child care.
There are also implications for gender politics as women are frequently expected to take on the burden of child care, rather than the father, and this developmental finding could be used to argue for a reduced role for women in the workplace.
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