Transformation of a child’s personal boundaries during the three-year-old crisis

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical analysis of the process of transformation of a child's personal boundaries during the three-year crisis as an important stage of mental development. The purpose of the article is a theoretical analysis of the transformation of a child’s personal boundaries during the three-year-old crisis. In the study of the transformation of a child’s personal boundaries during the three-year-old crisis, a set of complementary methods was used. Theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific sources in developmental and educational psychology made it possible to clarify the essence of the concepts of «personal boundaries», «autonomy», and «independence», as well as to reveal the psychological characteristics of crisis periods in early childhood. The psychological essence of the three-year-old crisis is revealed in the context of the formation of self-awareness, autonomy, and the child’s subject position. It is substantiated that manifestations of negativism, stubbornness, protest behavior, and the desire for independence should be considered not as behavioral disorders, but as natural indicators of the formation of personal boundaries. The study analyzes the peculiarities of the development of bodily, emotional, and behavioral boundaries in early childhood and their relationship with the social situation of development. It is shown that the three-year-old crisis is associated with the transition from joint activity with an adult to the formation of independent actions and intrinsic motives, which is accompanied by the child’s active assertion of personal boundaries. The theoretical analysis of the problem is based on a synthesis of classical and contemporary concepts of personality development. In particular, it incorporates E. Erikson’s ideas regarding the formation of autonomy as a key psychosocial quality of this period and M. Mahler’s approach, which viewed the crisis through the prism of the separation-individuation process and the emergence of the autonomous Self. The study draws on H. Keller’s views on the development of independence and responsibility in early childhood, as well as M. Mead’s research on the cultural conditionality of socialization. Special attention is paid to the role of adults in the process of forming healthy personal boundaries in children. It is emphasized that the style of interaction between parents and educators can either facilitate the harmonious development of autonomy or lead to the deformation of personal boundaries. It is concluded that a supportive, consistent, and emotionally sensitive adult position is a key condition for the formation of a psychologically stable and integrated child personality.