Chapter 29: Thinking and Feeling: Social-Developmental View

Thinking and Feeling: Social-Developmental View , titled "Thinking and Feeling: A Social-Developmental Perspective," provides an in-depth examination of the origins of creative and flexible thinking, arguing that symbolic thought is fundamentally rooted in the affective and embodied interactions between infants and others. The text challenges the traditional dichotomy between cognition and emotion by positing that early infant-world relations are undifferentiated "modes of relatedness" where feeling and knowing are intertwined. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Vygotsky, Werner, and Kaplan, the author explains how higher psychological functions are internalized from interpersonal transactions, specifically through the mechanism of "identifying-with" the attitudes of others. The narrative traces the developmental trajectory from primary dyadic exchanges to the emergence of secondary intersubjectivity—manifested in joint attention and social referencing—by the end of the first year, illustrating how infants learn to navigate alternative perspectives through emotional connectedness. A key concept explored is the process of "distancing" or "lifting out," where symbolic meanings are detached from concrete contexts, a feat achieved when the child grasps that self and other can hold distinct, coordinate stances toward a shared world. The chapter further elucidates this through the philosophy of Mead, emphasizing the importance of taking the role of the other for self-reflective awareness. To substantiate these theoretical claims, the text analyzes developmental psychopathology, contrasting typical development with cases of autism and congenital blindness. The case of 'L' and studies on autism demonstrate how deficits in the propensity to identify with others' subjective attitudes lead to rigid, concrete thinking and a lack of creative symbolic play. Similarly, the discussion on congenital blindness suggests that the absence of visual access to shared triangulation can hinder the development of intersubjective understanding, placing these children at risk for autism-like features. Ultimately, the chapter concludes that the "abstract attitude" and the capacity for flexible thought are not isolated cognitive achievements but are deeply embedded in the dynamic, feeling-imbued structures of human relatedness.