Jean Liedloff

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Jean Liedloff (born November 26, 1926 in New York , † March 15, 2011 in Sausalito ) was an American author .

Life

Jean Liedloff, originally from New York, graduated from Drew Seminary for Young Women and then went to Cornell University but began traveling before graduating. After five expeditions to the indigenous people of the Yequana in Venezuela, she wrote down her observations in the book In search of lost happiness: against the destruction of our ability to be happy in early childhood (original title: The Continuum Concept ).

Jean Liedloff was a co-founder of The Ecologist magazine . At times she lived in London as a publicist . Here, under the influence of primary therapeutic ideas, she also led a psychotherapeutic practice, which she later continued in California. She wrote for the Sunday Times , among others . She died on March 15, 2011 after a long illness on her houseboat in Sausalito, California. Jean Liedloff was not married and had no children.

The attachment parenting developed by William Sears is strongly influenced by Liedloff's ideas.

plant

Expeditions to the Yequana

With the Yequana children are carried in the arm or on the body for practically the entire first year of life and breastfed as required. The children sleep with their parents until they move out of the family bed themselves, usually between the ages of three and five. According to Liedloff's observations, admonitions or reprimands, as they are part of Western education , do not take place. The children grow up to be unusually friendly, peaceful and self-confident people.

Development of the term continuum ("Continuum concept")

On the basis of her ethnological field observations, Liedloff developed her "Continuum concept".

The continuous , i.e. H. The constant development of individuals and groups over a long period of time in harmony with the requirements of evolution was described by Liedloff as a continuum of innate, species-specific expectations and abilities that the Yequana perceived as ideally taken into account when dealing with one another and with itself as a visitor Has. Liedloff made similar observations later in Bali. Liedloff has not published any educational theory with socio-pedagogical or didactic instructions. It has limited itself to describing the concept of a so-called evolved society, which in many ways contrasts with the reality of modern western society.

According to the concept of the continuum, all newborns up to toddler age need a lot of specific experiences in order to be themselves

  • physically healthy,
  • mentally healthy and
  • emotionally healthy

to develop. The set of essential childhood experiences that have become binding through human evolution

  • permanent physical contact with trusted people from the time of birth,
  • the sleeping in the family bed until the children leave independently (often at the age of two years)
  • the breastfeeding after the child's needs, not according to a schedule,
  • Carrying it around on the arm or back or permanent body contact with a member of the same species, which gives the child the opportunity to observe everything (also: to be breastfed or to sleep). These observations take place without restriction while the wearer goes about his tasks and activities. If the child begins to crawl on its own, usually between the ages of six and eight months (with the Yequana), and thereby experiences self-efficacy and autonomy, it is no longer constantly carried; however, if it requires to be worn, it is usually granted.

One of the requirements of the continuum concept for early childhood care is that the caregivers react immediately to the signals from the infants (whimpering, screaming). This should be

  • without displeasure,
  • without disparagement,
  • take place without intentional misinterpretation of the child's behavior and
  • ensure that the child does not become the constant focus of attention.

The implementation of the continuum concept should lead to the

  • Children feel that they are welcome and valuable,
  • they can feel and meet the (not exaggerated) expectations of parents,
  • they show themselves socially and cooperatively
  • and build a strong sense of self.

To learn willingness to cooperate, children need guidance from caregivers who

  • clearly show themselves in their actions across many contexts and
  • make yourself transparent in what you do and don't do.

Due to the success of Liedloff's idea of ​​the “Continuum Concept”, carrying babies and children close to the body in slings and breastfeeding as required - as is the case in many, u. a. African, cultures to this day custom is - also (again) gained in importance in Europe and North America. In particular , it found many followers in the late " 1968 " movement, which existed only partially in 1975 (the year The Continuum Concept was published, In Search of Lost Happiness ) , when anti-authoritarian education was also popular. When it turned out later that the results were not as hoped, Liedloff pointed out that this was probably due to the fact that the Yequana, Balinese and other members of evolved societies - unlike the civilized parents in the West - the positive development as a matter of course and without the the slightest doubt awaited.

Liedloff distinguishes on the one hand between evolved societies, which experience a steady development over a long period of time and are adapted to the innate needs and abilities of humans to a high degree, and on the other hand civilized societies that do not take into account the human continuum or traditional experience from every generation, expect ever new and ever faster adaptations to technical and social changes.

Liedloff describes that in evolved societies, all children, all members, of all ages and all genders, are always available as role models . In contrast, most children are in civilized societies

  • either to a single caregiver (usually the mother with the consequence of being overwhelmed)
  • or to institutionalized groups (crèche, kindergarten, school, day-care center, etc.) with members of the same age

reliant. The casual and natural contact between children and women that is fun , d. H. to enjoy non-child-related work, that is

  • neither as an educator,
  • still as a teacher,
  • still as a full-time mother

'Working' on children, with men and with other age groups (ie with old people, young people, much younger or older children) is unusual in civilized societies . The consequences of these customs are reflected in the behavior of the adult members, but also in the health of all people, not just children.

People who like For example, most Yequana and many Balinese who live in harmony with their own human continuum , are mostly relaxed and happy with what they do, wrote Liedloff not only in her book, but also later in her lectures and interviews. This specifically applies not only to babies and toddlers, but to people of all ages.

Until her death, Jean Liedloff encouraged civilized parents to trust their own innate continuum and enable themselves and their children to develop according to their own needs and abilities. In doing so, she never tired of pointing out that such a development is only possible to a limited extent for individual civilized people, since the social framework conditions in North America or Central Europe are completely different from e.g. B. be with the Yequana.

literature

  • The Continuum-Concept, In Search of Lost Happiness , Duckworth, London 1975.
    • German About Eva Schlottmann and Rainer Taëni: In search of lost happiness: Against the destruction of our ability to be happy in early childhood , bound gift edition 2005, CH Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3406528600 (1st edition 2005, 224 pages)
    • German About Eva Schlottmann and Rainer Taëni: In search of lost happiness: against the destruction of our ability to be happy in early childhood , CH Beck, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-406-06024-2 (18th edition 2009, total 532,000 Ex.)
  • Carola Eder: On the trail of happiness - the continuum concept in everyday western life . tologo Verlag, Leipzig, 2010, ISBN 978-3-940596-09-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jean Liedloff: Normal neurotics like us
  2. ↑ Report on continuum-concept.org !
personal data
SURNAME Liedloff, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American psychotherapist
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH new York
DATE OF DEATH March 15, 2011
Place of death Sausalito