Illinois Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) Practice Test

When do children begin to see themselves and their mothers or primary caregivers as separate entities?

1. Attachment Disorder

2. Grief Process

3. Symbiotic Stage

4. Seperation-individuation

The correct answer is: Seperation-individuation

The correct answer is the separation-individuation phase, which typically occurs during a child's development as they begin to recognize themselves and their primary caregivers as distinct beings. This stage generally takes place between ages 4 and 24 months and is vital for a child's emotional and social growth. During this phase, children start to explore their environment while still seeking comfort and assurance from their primary attachment figures, leading to a healthy sense of independence and personal identity. In contrast, attachment disorder is a condition that arises when a child fails to form a healthy emotional bond with their caregiver, which can disrupt the process of separation-individuation. The grief process refers to the emotional experience associated with loss, not the developmental stages of recognizing relational boundaries. The symbiotic stage, which precedes the separation-individuation phase, refers to a period in early infancy when the infant feels an amalgamation with the mother, lacking an awareness of being a separate individual. Understanding the dynamics of these phases helps clarify the importance of the separation-individuation stage in developing a child's sense of self and interpersonal relationships.