---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not until Freud's writings became popular…"
description: "\"Not until Freud's writings became popular did descriptions of infants center on relationships with their mothers. The idea that children have feelings ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg"
---

#  Not until Freud's writings became popular did descriptions…

![“Not until Freud's writings became popular did descriptions of infants center on relationships with their mothers. The idea that children have feelings of any lasting importance for their development is a very recent invention (or insight if you wish).” quote by Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg)

> “Not until Freud's writings became popular did descriptions of infants center on relationships with their mothers. The idea that children have feelings of any lasting importance for their development is a very recent invention (or insight if you wish).”

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Notes that only after Freud did psychologists focus on infant-mother relationships, highlighting that recognizing children's emotional significance is a modern insight

**In simple terms:** Understanding children's feelings is a recent development in psychology

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge children's emotional needs early

Themes

development psychology relationships

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

academic psychological

When to use this quote

- parenting
- early education
- therapy
- research

Key Concepts

attachment theory emotional development

Questions to Reflect On

- How do early relationships shape later development?
- What other factors influence child growth?

A Different Perspective

May overemphasize mother-child bond at expense of other influences

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [With children your feelings get the better of you. The way they look at you, the way they laugh, the minute they hurt themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/with-children-your-feelings-get-the-better-of-you-the-way-they-look/)

[Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/)

> [“Oh, thank goodness,” the child said woefully, plopping down on the marble floor beside Blotchy. She ran searching fingers over her cheeks and nose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/oh-thank-goodness-the-child-said-woefully-plopping-down-on-the-marble/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [As an alcoholic, you have no appreciation for your wife or your children's feelings, but I'm making up for that now. I'm winning my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-gibb/as-an-alcoholic-you-have-no-appreciation-for-your-wife-or-your/)

[Maurice Gibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-gibb/)

> [Think about it, I say. How many straight men maintain inappropriately intimate relationships with their mothers? How many shop with them? I want a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/think-about-it-i-say-how-many-straight-men-maintain-inappropriately/)

[Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/)

> [How many straight men maintain inappropriately intimate relationships with their mothers? How many shop with them? I want a gay son. People laugh, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/how-many-straight-men-maintain-inappropriately-intimate-relationships/)

[Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/)

> [“Our children forever changed our relationships with our mothers. Pity replaced the mild contempt with which we had previously regarded them, and we loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/our-children-forever-changed-our-relationships-with-our-mothers-pity/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [Sometimes when I hear people talking about their families, or their relationships with their mothers and fathers, I hear it but it's not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/sometimes-when-i-hear-people-talking-about-their-families-or-their/)

[Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/)

> [Babies learn most of what they know from interactions with their parents, but not of the formal, instructional variety. Babies learn from spontaneous, everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/babies-learn-most-of-what-they-know-from-interactions-with-their/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Parents sometimes think of newborns as helpless creatures, but in fact parents' behavior is much more under the infant's control than the reverse. Does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/parents-sometimes-think-of-newborns-as-helpless-creatures-but-in-fact/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [“I may now add that civilization is a process in the service of Eros, whose purpose is to combine single human individuals, and after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-may-now-add-that-civilization-is-a-process-in-the-service-of-eros/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Freud pointed out, in his Problem of Lay Analysis, that it is extremely unlikely that a young man who would throw the best years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/freud-pointed-out-in-his-problem-of-lay-analysis-that-it-is-extremely/)

[Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/)

> [In the 1950s and early 1960s, psychoanalysis swept through the intellectual community, and it was the dominant mode of thinking about the mind. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/in-the-1950s-and-early-1960s-psychoanalysis-swept-through-the/)

[Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/)

> [“It’s so easy to lose faith and become lost in all of the politics of the world. That’s why we need the arts. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/it-s-so-easy-to-lose-faith-and-become-lost-in-all-of-the-politics-of/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/)

[Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/)

> [“Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/woe-to-you-my-princess-when-i-come-i-will-kiss-you-quite-red-and-feed/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## More by Sandra Scarr

> [Children need both latitude of expression and firmly enforced limits on their behaviors, in a blend that results in calm, patientmanagement. The key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/children-need-both-latitude-of-expression-and-firmly-enforced-limits/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Parents sometimes think of newborns as helpless creatures, but in fact parents' behavior is much more under the infant's control than the reverse. Does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/parents-sometimes-think-of-newborns-as-helpless-creatures-but-in-fact/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [It is important for practical and psychological reasons to call any reasonably stable group that rears children a family… The advantage of this view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/it-is-important-for-practical-and-psychological-reasons-to-call-any/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Babies learn most of what they know from interactions with their parents, but not of the formal, instructional variety. Babies learn from spontaneous, everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/babies-learn-most-of-what-they-know-from-interactions-with-their/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [We know that babies develop as well in nonmaternal as in maternal care, as long as the care is of good quality. The issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/we-know-that-babies-develop-as-well-in-nonmaternal-as-in-maternal/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Fortunately for common sense, psychological research has shown that babies with more than one attachment are less distressed whenmother leaves to go to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/fortunately-for-common-sense-psychological-research-has-shown-that/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Babies need social interactions with loving adults who talk with them, listen to their babblings, name objects for them, and give them opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/babies-need-social-interactions-with-loving-adults-who-talk-with-them/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Each era invents its own child. Over the past 500 years, conceptions of the child changed gradually from an ill-formed adult who must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/each-era-invents-its-own-child-over-the-past-500-years-conceptions-of/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Day care poses no risk for children, provided that it is high quality… Poor quality day care is risky for children everywhere… The cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/day-care-poses-no-risk-for-children-provided-that-it-is-high-quality/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Parents ought to feel more comfortable about the care of their children than some experts would seem to permit. If children were so fragile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/parents-ought-to-feel-more-comfortable-about-the-care-of-their/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Ideas about mothers have swung historically with the roles of women. When women were needed to work the fields or shops, experts claimed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/ideas-about-mothers-have-swung-historically-with-the-roles-of-women/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Mothers have not always had the most important role in their children's upbringing, when they had other economic roles to play. Inpast centuries, fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/mothers-have-not-always-had-the-most-important-role-in-their-children/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [A healthy newborn has been delivered in a more or less satisfying fashion. The baby is feeding well, has short nails and a clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/a-healthy-newborn-has-been-delivered-in-a-more-or-less-satisfying/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [Children thrive in a variety of family forms; they develop normally with single parents, with unmarried parents, with multiple caretakers in a communal setting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/children-thrive-in-a-variety-of-family-forms-they-develop-normally/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

> [All we know is that the school achievement, IQ test score, and emotional and social development of working mothers' children are every bit as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/all-we-know-is-that-the-school-achievement-iq-test-score-and/)

[Sandra Scarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

[Explore all 26 Sandra Scarr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Not until Freud's writings became popular did descriptions of infants center on relationships with their mothers. The idea that children have feelings of any lasting importance for their development is a very recent invention (or insight if you wish).",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sandra Scarr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popular-did-descriptions-of-infants/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popular-did-descriptions-of-infants/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/sandra-scarr-23477_children_not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popula_1140600.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Not until Freud's writings became popular did descriptions of infants center on relationships with their…” — Sandra Scarr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sandra Scarr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scarr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Not until Freud's writings became popular...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popular-did-descriptions-of-infants/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scarr/not-until-freud-s-writings-became-popular-did-descriptions-of-infants/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
