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Persecutory anxieties and feeding difficulties within the context of cultural dislocation

Introduction I intend to use this paper to explore the impact of cultural dislocation on the quality of parent-child interactions and the possible effects this may have on early feeding difficulties and subsequent failure to thrive. I read with interest Grier’s account (2002) of her experience with two Asian families, who perceived themselves to be isolated from their own culture. She explores some of the cultural factors, including the mother’s experiences of loss and alienation, which impacted on their capacity to contain and nourish their children. This led me to consider the effects of cultural dislocation on the family I was involved with in the context of my Infant Observation experience. Although they were an African family, I believe that they underwent very similar difficulties to those described in Grier’s paper (2002). In particular I feel that the mother’s state of mind was greatly affected by her traumatic experience of the loss of her culture and resulting sense of isolation. This impacted greatly on her relationship with her son and appeared to contribute significantly to their ongoing struggle to establish a satisfactory feeding relationship. Throughout the paper, I have drawn primarily on the work of Klein, Bick and Bion. By considering some of their concepts regarding persecutory anxieties and containment, I have endeavoured to make connections in relation to my own observations and reflections. I have high-