Continuum concept

The continuum concept is an idea relating to human development proposed by Jean Liedloff in her 1975 book The Continuum Concept. According to Liedloff, in order to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional development, human beings—especially babies—require the kind of experience to which their species adapted during the long process of their evolution. For infants, these include such experiences as:

• The infant being placed immediately in the mother's arms at birth, and from then on carried constantly in arms or otherwise in contact with someone, usually the mother, and allowed to observe (or nurse, or sleep) while the carrier goes about his or her business—until the infant begins creeping, then crawling on his/her own impulse, usually at six to eight months;
• Co-sleeping in the parents' bed, in constant physical contact, until leaving of their own volition (often about two years);
• Breastfeeding "on cue"—nursing in response to the child's body's signals;
• Having caregivers immediately respond to body signals (squirming, crying, etc.), without judgment, displeasure, or invalidation of the child's needs, yet showing no undue concern nor making the child the constant center of attention;
• Sensing (and fulfilling) elders' expectations that he or she is innately social and cooperative and has strong self-preservation instincts, and that he or she is welcome and worthy.

Liedloff suggests that when certain evolutionary expectations are not met as infants and toddlers, compensation for these needs will be sought, by alternate means, throughout life—resulting in many forms of mental and social disorders. Liedloff's recommendations fit in more generally with evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and the philosophy known as the Paleolithic lifestyle: optimizing well-being by living more like our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

References in pop culture

• The continuum concept was mentioned in jest in the comedy movie Meet the Fockers by Barbra Streisand's character, a free-spirited liberal who mentions it during an argument with a Ferber method-favoring character (Robert De Niro).

• The continuum concept was featured on TV in the UK in the 2007 Channel 4 series Bringing Up Baby. It was chosen as one of three influential parenting "methods" of the 20th century which were 'tested out' by various new parents.

• In the film Away We Go, the couple of LN and Roderick (portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Josh Hamilton) describe their household as following "continuum" practices.

External links

• continuum-concept.org