Early childhood years are so important. When reading your article today I was reminded of the "tabula rasa" (blank slate ) hypothesis that was suggested by English philosopher John Locke.
"John Locke's tabula rasa theory posits that at birth, the human mind is a "blank slate" without pre-programmed ideas or knowledge. All knowledge and understanding, according to Locke, are acquired through sensory experiences and reflections on those experiences. This "blank slate" is then filled with "ideas" derived from the external world and from internal reflection. "
I was once skeptical about Locke's theory but that changed when I was in a lift (foreign country -
different language from my own) with a mother holding her two year old baby in her arms.
The baby said " Sa wa dee kap". I looked puzzled. Then the mother translated the baby talk. "He
said "Good day to you". Now there is an example of how quickly young minds can learn things
off by heart (not insight - that comes later), that baby was learning a language quicker than me
so much so the mother had to do a translation for me. That was my first acknowledgement of
the "tabula rasa".
There is another process in play for every baby worldwide. It was identified by by Konrad Lorenz
a psychologist. After a baby is born there is an immediate bond with the mother. One can see
examples in many animal species such as chicks with hens or cubs with bears. Later psychologists
were able to show that imprinting denied in humans causes mature adults to be more violent.
That might explain why violence may have become more prevalent in the modern era; a lack of
early parental bonding being at the root cause.
As you are aware Shari, there is much more to this topic.
Early childhood years are so important. When reading your article today I was reminded of the "tabula rasa" (blank slate ) hypothesis that was suggested by English philosopher John Locke.
"John Locke's tabula rasa theory posits that at birth, the human mind is a "blank slate" without pre-programmed ideas or knowledge. All knowledge and understanding, according to Locke, are acquired through sensory experiences and reflections on those experiences. This "blank slate" is then filled with "ideas" derived from the external world and from internal reflection. "
I was once skeptical about Locke's theory but that changed when I was in a lift (foreign country -
different language from my own) with a mother holding her two year old baby in her arms.
The baby said " Sa wa dee kap". I looked puzzled. Then the mother translated the baby talk. "He
said "Good day to you". Now there is an example of how quickly young minds can learn things
off by heart (not insight - that comes later), that baby was learning a language quicker than me
so much so the mother had to do a translation for me. That was my first acknowledgement of
the "tabula rasa".
There is another process in play for every baby worldwide. It was identified by by Konrad Lorenz
a psychologist. After a baby is born there is an immediate bond with the mother. One can see
examples in many animal species such as chicks with hens or cubs with bears. Later psychologists
were able to show that imprinting denied in humans causes mature adults to be more violent.
That might explain why violence may have become more prevalent in the modern era; a lack of
early parental bonding being at the root cause.
As you are aware Shari, there is much more to this topic.