Abstract
A series of cases are presented from field-work in extreme situations illustrating how this analytic model can be used as an interpretive device for exploring the processes involved in sensitive human care, or opposite, in abuse and neglect of children.
Finally the conditions facilitating empathic care are summarized and related to the newly emerging field of “ethics of closeness” and Levinas’ idea of the “appeal of the face”. A key point is the caregiver’s perception of the child, his ability to read the child’s signals and respond appropriately, or to quote Levinas “to read the child’s ‘face’ and respond appropriately without conditions…”. This is the essence of a child-oriented humanistic approach.
Part II concludes by summing up a simple model of the conditions leading to inclusion into the zone of intimacy with ensuing sensitive care, or to empathic blockage with consequent neglect or abuse.
Throughout this part Examples from the authors’ extensive experience with children in extreme situations in developing countries are used to illustrate the practical clinical applicability of this child-oriented and humanistic approach.
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Notes
- 1.
It is under such dehumanizing condition that the concept of a “person” and a child perspective approach becomes important among professionals, politicians, the media, and citizens in order to change the situation.
- 2.
This is in fact the same criticism that has been raised against the modern market- and economy oriented trends in education and in society in general: We are in danger that economy and pure rationality will be running human values.
- 3.
In social sense these children serve as scapegoats being held responsible for any negative occurrence within the family or in the local community, thus functioning as a scapegoat for uncontrollable misfortunes in the community.
- 4.
This is a striking parallel to the “lightning rod function” of women (and children and men) pointed out as witches or demons in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
- 5.
This appears like a hidden contract between themselves and the healer about who they are, what their symptoms and powers are, and how they can be healed (Hundeide, 2003b, 2003c).
- 6.
“We” implies collaborators in the ICDP project (see Hundeide, 1991), particularly Pedro and Irina Mendes, Milu and Santana.
- 7.
It is important to note that this type of legitimizing and stigmatization also occurs in violations of human rights and UN conventions in the pursuit of what are called “terrorists” like the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib Prison. One can also find comparable justifications in violence-prone racist gangs, such as new Nazis (Bjørgo, 1997; Hundeide, 2003a, 2003b, 2007).
- 8.
These experiences were a part of the teenage soldiers’ training: in some cases they were instructed to kill prisoners – in some cases members of their own families – while the others were watching. If they were unable to comply with others or showed signs of weakness in crying or clutching, they were themselves shot in front of the other recruits. This is the terrorism that led to blind obedience to “the sergeant”, who often exploited them with extreme cruelty (Bracken & Petty, 1998; Hundeide, 2003b).
- 9.
“Under-aged soldiers” is now the politically correct term as child soldiers is starting to have a stigmatizing effect due to the violence associated with this term.
- 10.
The concept of “person” as opposed to a non-person, a thing, has been used in social science to indicate the crucial importance of labelling, stigmatization, and negative definitions when violence, terror, torture, massacres, and crimes against humanity are committed (see Buber, Bauman, Bråten, Christie and Smedslund). The concept of “person” is not necessarily limited to human beings; a loved animal, a pet, a dog, or a whale, can become the object for person-attributions, which implies that they are perceived as having similar sensitivity to pain, suffering, and humiliation and also similar needs for being secure, included, loved, and respected – as we ourselves have. They are, in other words, co-human beings. This makes empathic identification possible.
- 11.
According to Bauman (1996), this was one of the things the Nazis tried to prevent. Face-to-face contact with “the Jew next door” could be the basis of inclusion into the zone with sympathy and empathic identification.
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Sommer, D., Samuelsson, I.P., Hundeide, K. (2010). When Empathic Care Is Obstructed. In: Child Perspectives and Children's Perspectives in Theory and Practice. International perspectives on early childhood education and development, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3316-1_6
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