(Esther Thelen, 1941-2004)…development is the outcome of the self-organizing processes of continually active living systems
…development does not “know” where it is going from the start
…the very nature of development itself — its contingent, evolving, emergent nature
We’re inspired by the writing of Esther Thelen, a developmental psychologist and multidisciplinary out-of-the-box thinker who applied chaos theory (or dynamic systems theory) to infant development. Per a colleague’s tribute, Thelen “saw a child’s development more akin to a jazz improvisation than to a biological process driven by genes.”
Esther Thelen’s approach and research ring true for us: it resonates with our values and principles (esp. agency and curiosity); it matches and bolsters our experience of supporting each baby’s process as they find their own way; and it’s how life actually works, from cells to ecosystems.
We believe agency is a given, starting from the beginning: each of us grows ourselves from a two-celled organism into a full-term fetus with the nourishment and feedback of our environment. This developmental process continues after birth and throughout our life. A supportive environment is essential, but the process is ours.
What if our starting point were that a baby doesn’t need to be taught or entertained? What if we trusted that babies learn best when they lead though their curiosity and exploration? At the same time, how do we acknowledge our influence — the “butterfly effects“— in how we hold and handle a baby, and all the ways we shape their context and environment?
Read more about our values and principles.
Read more about shaping a baby’s environment through how they’re handled.
Read a previous post on agency and emergence.
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