Up against the wall

Abstract

This article explores aspects of unexpected behaviour in one- and two-year-olds, lasting only for a few minutes at a time. Infant observation [Bick, E. (1964). Notes on Infant Observation in Psychoanalytic Training. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 45, 558–566] in an adapted form serves as a research tool. The intention is to try to compare a small number of similar observations to try to make sense of a common pattern. The discussion of the findings has a psychoanalytic perspective. The reactions of the children’s peer group and of staff within the nursery context are a particular focus of the paper.