Bambini «epistemici» e bambini «socio-affettivi»: quali punti di contatto tra questi ambiti teorici e di ricerca?

Abstract

«Epistemic» Children and «Socio-Affective» Children: What are the Links between These Theoretical Spheres of Research?

In most currently available textbooks of developmental psychology, the chapters dealing with cognitive development, affective development and social development are presented separately, even if these aspects are strongly interconnected in child development and should not be considered as separate issues. Despite this, not many studies have attempted to establish connections between the study of cognitive, affective and social development. This contribution aims to frame, within a historical perspective, the attempts made in psychological literature to highlight the links between Jean Piaget’s genetic epistemology, psychoanalysis and John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. Significant attempts in this regard were made by Jean Piaget himself, who already in 1920 published two articles on psychoanalysis and its relations with child development, while from the early 1950s John Bowlby started investigating these issues, opening up to the empirical evidence provided by Piaget’s studies. It therefore appears of great interest to go into the empirical facts and theoretical positions discussed by these two famous scholars in the field of child development.