Mirror neurons were discovered by the
Italian neurophysiologist- researcher Dr. Rizzolatti in the 1980’s. Regarded as
one of the most important findings in the last few decades, the mirror neurons
confer the ability to recognize our reflections in the mirror, and are integral
to our sense of self.
The
finding explains much of early child development and good-enough
parenting. When children’s
interests and talents are perceived accurately and ‘mirrored’ with encouragement
and support, they develop a positive sense of real self.
The
child psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Stern, observed and wrote about the dynamics of
the parent-child interaction in his classic text, The Interpersonal World ofthe Infant. He describes the
process occurs in which parents or primary care-takers reflect back to the
developing child their perceptions of him, similar to an image in the mirror.
When the caretakers’ reflections are in tune with the child, he develops a
genuine or real sense of self.
A mother who is tuned into her child night say,
“You seem sad today. Perhaps it’s because you can’t visit your friend?”
A parent who fails to mirror, dismisses the
importance of his feelings, and might say,
“Oh don’t be silly. You’ll see your friend
another time. “
In
essence each of us walks through a Hall of Mirrors in life. People reflect
various images/pictures of how they perceive us. When we possess a genuine
sense of ourselves, we (unconsciously) integrate these diverse perceptions and
absorb the positive, realistic images.
Maestro,
a play currently running at 59E59th Street theatre is a musical rendition of
the life of genius composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. His childhood was
wrought with difficulty, because his father failed to recognize his son’s
musical gifts. Instead, the older Bernstein projected his own fears of
financial disaster upon young Leonard.
As a result, Leonard was forced to fend
for himself, work at an early age to earn money to pursue his training. Lacking paternal understanding, Bernstein searched for acceptance
and love, first from mentors, and later through a series of (indiscriminate) relationships with
men.
Performer
Hersey Felder brilliantly portrays Leonard, who in later life, regretted that
he didn’t invest more time and energy to composing.
We
can hypothesize that if Bernstein’s father had been able to mirror, to perceive
his son’s gifts instead of projecting his own personal fears, the composer
would have been able to focus more attention on composing.
Conclusion:
To the extent that we are mirrored, encouraged and acknowledged for our
achievements and our creative pursuits, we are unified within ourselves. To the
degree that we are perceived through a distorted mirror, we are torn asunder
and may search for approval at a cost to our real self and creativity.
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