Infant observation meets social science. Infant Observation: International Journal of Infant observation and its applications.

This paper describes a CU’s participation in a project based at the Oslo Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS), within the Norwegian Academy for Science and Letters, addressing Personal development and socio-cultural change. What brought the group of 21 ‘Fellows’ together was a shared ‘psycho-social’ commitment to understanding the personal in the socio-cultural and the socio-cultural in the personal. It had been decided that, during CU’s time there, the group would focus on the data from the ‘becoming a mother’ project, a funded research project, based at the Open University using psychoanalytically informed interview and observation methods, the latter led by CU. This article notes some key points from her learning offered as of general relevance in introducing infant observation to groups of researchers or practitioners. The style is described as encouraging the group to absorb and reflect on the emotional impact of the observation write-up as a whole and to think about what in the description may be giving rise to this affective response, then undertaking a detailed and scrupulous working through of the material sequentially. It is suggested that Bion's (1970) emphasis on ‘freedom from memory and desire’ in the consulting room is applicable to the task of maintaining a working atmosphere in the seminar group and to freeing its members to be responsive to what is being described through its emotional impact rather than through preconceived ideas. Yet previous experience, insights and information can be invaluable to the learning process, especially in respect of a research endeavour.