## **📚**  ## **Lloyd deMause (1931–2020)** **Field:** Psychohistory **Notable Work:** _The History of Childhood_ (1974), various essays and edited volumes on psychohistory --- ### **🧭**  ### **Overview of deMause’s Theories** Lloyd deMause was the founder of **psychohistory**, an interdisciplinary field combining history, psychology (particularly psychoanalysis), and anthropology. His central thesis was that **the emotional lives of children—and the ways they are raised—shape the political and cultural history of entire civilisations**. DeMause proposed that history can be interpreted through the **evolution of child-rearing practices**, arguing that the psychological state of societies is deeply rooted in **how children are treated**. --- ## **👪**  ## **Key Ideas on Families and Child-Rearing** ### **1.**  ### **The Evolution of Child-Rearing Modes** In his influential essay _The Evolution of Childhood_, deMause outlines six historical “modes” of parenting: |**Mode**|**Approx. Era**|**Characteristics**| |---|---|---| |**Infanticidal**|Antiquity–4th c. AD|High rates of child murder and abandonment. Children viewed as objects or burdens.| |**Abandoning**|4th–13th c.|Physical survival improved, but emotional neglect continued; wet nurses and monasteries raised many children.| |**Ambivalent**|14th–17th c.|Parents were emotionally inconsistent, often cruel and punitive, with growing awareness of the child’s mind.| |**Intrusive**|18th c.|Parents became more involved, yet still controlling, often using shame and discipline to mould behaviour.| |**Socialising**|19th–mid-20th c.|Children were shaped through education and societal norms. Obedience was emphasised.| |**Helping**|Late 20th c. onwards|(Still rare) Parents view children as individuals, encouraging autonomy, emotional awareness, and mutual respect.| > DeMause believed that only in the most recent era have genuinely empathic, child-centred parenting styles begun to emerge. --- ### **2.**  ### **Psychohistorical Premise: “The History of Childhood is a Nightmare”** - DeMause famously claimed, _“The history of childhood is a nightmare from which we have only recently begun to awaken.”_ - He argued that children throughout history have suffered extensive **abuse, neglect, and emotional trauma**, which have in turn shaped the **pathologies of adult societies**: war, authoritarianism, and mass violence. --- ### **3.**  ### **Family as a Psychological Unit of History** - Families are not merely private units, but **psychological factories** producing citizens, leaders, and cultural values. - The dominant modes of parenting in any era deeply influence political ideologies and social institutions. - For example, societies that practice punitive child-rearing are more likely to embrace **authoritarian or violent politics**. --- ### **4.**  ### **Child-Rearing and Psychogenic Theory of History** - DeMause’s **psychogenic theory** claims that **historical change is driven not by economics or ideology**, but by evolving **parent-child dynamics**. - Traumas experienced in early childhood are **repressed and reenacted collectively**, often in the form of wars, scapegoating, or religious hysteria. --- ### **5.**  ### **Emphasis on Empathy and Regression** - DeMause believed that the **degree of societal violence is inversely proportional to the empathy shown in child-rearing**. - He also explored how **leaders and societies regress psychologically** in times of crisis, often to early childhood states, which can manifest in irrational or destructive mass behaviour. --- ## **🧠**  ## **Criticisms and Legacy** - Critics argue that deMause’s approach was too deterministic and insufficiently supported by historical evidence. - Nonetheless, his work influenced scholars in child advocacy, trauma studies, and psychoanalytically-informed cultural criticism. - He remains a **provocative figure** whose work opened uncomfortable but crucial questions about **the psychic costs of civilisation**. --- Below is a comparison between **Lloyd deMause’s historical parenting modes** and the core concepts of **Attachment Theory** (developed by John Bowlby and later expanded by Mary Ainsworth). While the two frameworks differ in method and origin, they share significant thematic overlap, particularly concerning **early caregiving, emotional regulation, and long-term psychological effects**. --- ## **🧩**  ## **Comparison: deMause’s Parenting Modes & Attachment Theory** |**deMause’s Parenting Mode**|**Time Period**|**Key Features**|**Attachment Theory Parallel**| |---|---|---|---| |**Infanticidal**|Antiquity–4th c.|High rates of child killing, neglect; children seen as expendable.|No secure attachment possible; corresponds to **disorganised attachment** or **reactive attachment disorder** in modern terms.| |**Abandoning**|4th–13th c.|Emotional neglect, physical survival prioritised, limited bonding.|Likely to form **avoidant attachment** or **insecure-disorganised attachment**; caregivers inconsistent or unavailable.| |**Ambivalent**|14th–17th c.|Care mixed with cruelty, guilt-inducing or shaming behaviours.|Reflects **anxious-ambivalent attachment**—children crave attention but cannot trust it.| |**Intrusive**|18th c.|Over-controlling or moralistic parenting; shaping through fear/shame.|May yield **insecure-anxious** or even **avoidant** attachment; conditional affection linked to performance.| |**Socialising**|19th–20th c.|Emphasis on obedience, conformity, discipline over individuality.|Children may develop **avoidant attachment** due to emotional suppression and focus on behaviour over connection.| |**Helping**|Late 20th c.–|Empathic, child-centred parenting, promotes autonomy and trust.|Encourages **secure attachment**—caregivers are responsive, consistent, and attuned to emotional needs.| --- ### **🧠**  ### **Conceptual Similarities** 1. **Early Caregiving as Destiny** Both deMause and Bowlby believe that **early childhood experiences** form the basis of later emotional and relational patterns—on both an individual and collective scale. 2. **Caregiver Responsiveness as a Foundation for Security** - _Attachment Theory:_ Children need a **secure base** to explore and develop. - _DeMause:_ Only the “helping” mode fosters healthy psychological development. 3. **Impact of Neglect and Abuse** Both frameworks highlight the profound damage caused by neglect, emotional coldness, or abuse—though deMause extrapolates this to macro-history. 4. **Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma** - _Attachment Theory:_ Patterns are passed down unless consciously interrupted. - _DeMause:_ New parenting modes emerge through individual healing and gradual cultural evolution. --- ### **❗️ Key Differences** |**DeMause**|**Attachment Theory**| |---|---| |Historical and cultural scope: focuses on **epochs of parenting evolution** across centuries.|Psychological and clinical: focuses on **individual development** and family systems.| |Strongly psychoanalytic and speculative.|Empirically grounded in observational studies (e.g., the Strange Situation).| |Posits that child-rearing shapes entire societies and histories.|Focuses on individual wellbeing and interpersonal relationships.| --- ## **🧾 Conclusion** Lloyd deMause’s work can be seen as a **macrohistorical analogue to attachment theory**. Where Bowlby and Ainsworth traced the emotional development of individuals, deMause sought to trace the **emotional evolution of humanity**, driven by how children are raised. Both argue, in essence, that **love, attunement, and emotional availability** are the true engines of mental health—and, by deMause’s extension, civilisation itself. --- ![[45D3975B-8393-4CB8-9356-2EB4B781F02F.png]] `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`