Psychoanalysis for Early Childhood Educators

Written by psychoanalysts and early childhood education scholars, this edited book explores how children from birth to age five consciously and unconsciously manage their complex internal worlds. Chapters in section one cover the key principles of psychoanalytic theory and the external social, political, and relational worlds that influence both children’s and educators’ emotional states. Section two introduces readers to key psychoanalytic theorists including Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicottand Sigmund Freud, to reveal the emotional vicissitudes young children navigate as they develop. In Section three presents accounts from early childhood educators’ on their ability to meet young children’s emotions and respond to them with thoughtful and compassionate. The chapters cover topics including social exclusion; childhood aggression; and the value of play for expressions of emotional health. Ultimately, the book presents a case for the importance of psychoanalytic theories in the field of early childhood education.