ISSN : 1229-0718
The essay attempts a critical review of the current studies of the mother-child interaction. A particular focus is placed on their lack of concern with the socio-cultural implications and significances of the subject. A guiding assumption is that the mother-child interaction is not only an educational ground for the child's learning of language or behavioral coordination, but also a socio-cultural event that is necessarily subject to specific contextual correlates. Psychoanalysis is picked up to represent the tradition concerned with the relational but not the interactional aspect of the mother-child interaction. Bowl by s idea is dealt with to discuss the conventional understanding of the interactive nature. Pygotskian thesis is discussed to examine the social interactionist perspective. Finally, recent studies on the communicative aspects of the mother-child interaction are examined. An appeal for a socio-cultural approach to the mother-child interaction is made.