Reference person

A caregiver is the person with whom another person has a special personal relationship . Such a relationship is shaped by trust, identification, love and attention. Body contact, such as This can include, for example, caressing or cuddling: Especially for babies , children , adolescents , the sick and those in need of protection, but also for helpless and needy people, a caregiver who turns to them with confidence is extremely important.

For a child, the mother is the first caregiver after birth . Their importance decreases over the years - at different speeds depending on society and culture. In most societies and in most situations, parents are the primary caregivers of the child (see also attachment theory and parent-child relationship ), although this role can also be assigned to relatives and other people. Other caregivers often include grandparents , carers in day care centers and teachers .

Babies and children need a lot of continuous contact for their physical, mental and emotional development. In particular, premature babies, sick and handicapped children need physical contact. Too little individual attention - as is often the case in hospitals , on infant wards and in children's homes - can lead to anaclitic depression ( deprivation , deprivation damage), which can lead to psychological hospitalism .

Elderly and sick people also need a person who turns to them lovingly and creates a trusting atmosphere of mutual understanding. On the other hand, neglect in old people's homes can lead to psychological hospitalism.

In inpatient psychiatry , a caregiver who is supposed to take special care of a patient is sometimes referred to as a caregiver .

See also

General:

• Bond (dog)
• Attachment theory
• Sensitivity
• Daycare # acclimatization
• Mentalization # Attachment theory and mentalization
• Nest warmth
• Rapport (psychology)
• Acclimatization

Disorders in the relationship with the caregiver:

• Attachment disorder
• Parentification
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder # Parents and ancestors with PTSD

Web links

Wiktionary: reference person  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Horst Nickel: Developmental Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence , Bern 1972.
2. ↑ Norbert Kühne : Early Development and Upbringing - The Critical Period. In: Teaching Materials Pedagogy - Psychology. No. 694, Stark Verlag, Hallbergmoos, 2012.