(2024) Science and education, 4, 51-55. Odessa.

Irуna Kuchmanych,
Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor,
Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology,
Petro Mohyla Black See National University,
10, 68 Desantnykiv Str., Mykolaiv, Ukraine,
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6954-6082

COMPONENTS AND STAGES OF THE SEPARATION PROCESS IN CHILD-PARENT RELATIONS

The process of separation is highly important in the development of the personality. In general terms, it is the separation of a child from a significant adult (usually a mother or another person who is a custodian), as a result of which an individual gains awareness of his own Self, independence, and autonomy. Within the system approach, separation is understood as a process of differentiation within the family system, as a result of which an individual develops the ability to distinguish his own emotional and intellectual processes. This forms the foundation for personal identity development as well as effective socialization and adaptation in the future. The purpose of the study is to characterize the key components and stages of the separation process within the child-parent subsystem and to describe parenting patterns that hinder effective process of separation of the child. The study employs a comprehensive set of theoretical research methods, including analysis, synthesis, and summarization of research data on the outlined issues. Since separation is a fairly complex process, certain components are highlighted that describe different aspects of the phenomenon. These include the cognitive-behavioral component (the child’s ability to form personal judgments and clearly understand their own traits), the emotional component (the ability to endure and process difficult emotions such as guilt, anxiety, anger, etc.), and the communicative component (the ability of all participants in the separation process to recognize each other as distinct individuals). It has been proven that separation is a prolonged and gradual process. The study outlines specific stages of personality development and identifies parenting behaviors that may hinder effective process of separation of the child from the parental subsystem. It describes the following key stages: the first year of life, as the beginning of the separation process; the age of three; the adolescent period of ontogenesis; and adulthood (from 17–18 years). It was found that individuals who have not undergone the separation process have certain characteristics, the most significant of which is psychological dependency on another person. Consequently, those who have not achieved separation have difficulties in building relationships with a partner later in life.

separation, child-parent subsystem, dependence, child development, identity