“There are many roads leading to Rome". Growing up in a Diverse World; Does everything work in child development?"
Prof Kai von Klitzing, University of Leipzig

Abstract:
Developmental research has shown that there are multiple pathways to positive mental health outcomes. Mainstream research on attachment and early triadic relationships has identified a number of early relational factors that appear to be highly correlated with later mental health parameters. However, as the social rules of relational life in Western industrialized countries become more diverse, young children may be conceived and born under diverse and different conditions. Furthermore, from a global perspective, there is a wide variety of social and cultural conditions under which young children grow up in different parts of the world. A culturally sensitive approach to infant mental health means looking at the diverse pathways to mental health rather than insisting on established wisdom about what kind of early relationships are ideal for the infant. On the other hand, we cannot accept cultural arbitrariness in the sense that everything works in child development. I will explore this tension between acceptable diversity and unacceptable arbitrariness by looking at modern reproductive medicine, culturally different definitions of child maltreatment, and young children growing up under conditions of war.

Presented at WAIMH 2024 Interim World Congress
June 6th, 2024 Tampere, Finland