BEYOND CARE: THE ROLE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS IN UNDERSTANDING CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR PARENTING PRACTICE

Abstract

This article is justified by the centrality of psychoanalysis in understanding children's psychological processes and their influence on the quality of parenting. The overall objective is to discuss the relevance of knowledge about child psychological development, from a psychoanalytic perspective, for more conscious, sensitive, and adaptive parenting. The study uses a qualitative and descriptive literature review as its methodology, analyzing classic and contemporary works on psychoanalysis and child development. As a result, it is observed that Sigmund Freud's contributions, by postulating the subject of the unconscious and the psychosexual phases, established childhood as a period of intense psychic life. This theoretical basis is complemented by Melanie Klein, who unveiled the child's inner world and its psychic positions, and by Donald W. Winnicott, who postulated the role of the Good Enough Mother and the need for a facilitating environment. These concepts demonstrate that parental care transcends the satisfaction of physical needs, requiring the elaboration of caregivers' internal conflicts and the capacity for support (holding) to build a healthy psyche. Psychoanalytic knowledge is considered essential to support parenting strategies that strengthen secure bonds, promote nonviolent parenting, and align with current legal frameworks, such as Law No. 14,826/2024, which establishes positive parenting as a state policy.