Question

A child is in the doctor's office for an evaluation. His mother is waiting outside in the waiting area. The child is aware that his mother still exists even though she is not present in the room. For this to be true, the child must have reached which one of Mahler's stages of separation-individuation?

A. Normal autism
B. Practicing
C. Differentiation
D. Symbiosis
E. Object constancy

Answer 1

The child's understanding that his mother exists while she is not present indicates he has reached the stage of object constancy in Mahler's separation-individuation process.

Step-by-step explanation:

The child's awareness that his mother still exists even though she is not presently visible in the room illustrates the concept of object constancy. According to Margaret Mahler's stages of separation-individuation, the ability to maintain an image of an absent caregiver and comprehend that they still exist is attained in the stage of object constancy. This stage is the culmination of the separation-individuation process and typically develops in children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. The presence of object constancy indicates that the child has overcome separation anxiety and has acquired a stable sense of the caregiver's presence, allowing for emotional attachment even when they are not physically together.