IntroductionIn this essay, I will show my understanding of a child's early emotional development based on the psychoanalytic view of child development. I will show how emotional skills acquired in the early years can be of great importance for later life. I will show my understanding by illustrating it with clinical material. Although I focus on the psychoanalytic approach to child development, I believe it is helpful to also present some general knowledge about child development. The Child as an Individual The child was not seen as an individual until the works of 18th-century philosophers Locke and Rousseau, who expressed on paper his thoughts about the child's ability to interact with the world around it (Cunningham, 1993). Research into child development began, followed by the work of observing behavioral changes in organisms carried out by Charles Darwin. There are few areas in the science of child development. One of these is represented by psychoanalytic theory, which examines the child's emotional development in the context of social interaction and early attachments. This framework is called psychosocial because it addresses emotional and social aspects. Two other main areas work in parallel and influence each other: cognitive and physical. Although I focus on aspects of psychosocial development, it is important to remember that all of these areas are influenced by each other, where the development of emotional abilities plays a central role in the regular development of cognitive and physical abilities.Psychoanalysis TheoriesThe psychoanalytic view of child development has shown how early childhood experience...... middle of article......Word count 2204References:Bower, M. (2006). Psychoanalytic theory for social work. New York: Routledge. Bowlby, J. (2005). A secure base. London and New York: Routledge Classics. Brazelton, B. & Cramer, B. (1990). The first relationship. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley.Cunningham, B. (1993). Child development. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Miller, L. (ed.) (1989). Infants closely monitored. London: Duckworth. Karr-Morse, R. and Wiley, M.S. (1997). Ghost of the nursery. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press. Obholzer, A. and Roberts, V. Z. (1994). The unconscious at work: individual and organizational stress in human services. London: Routledge Stern, D. (1998). The interpersonal world of the infant. London: Karnac Books. Ward, A. et al. (2003). Therapeutic communities for children and young people. London: Jessica Kingsley Editor