Shame and Belonging in Childhood: The Interaction Between Relationship and Neurobiological Development in the Early Years of Life

Recent neurobiological research findings parallel, support, and inform Gestalt field theory’s notions of childhood development. This article examines the neurobiological research literature involving the role and importance of relationship in structuring neural circuits in the first and second year of life, as well as what this information meansfrom a Gestalt constructionist, intersubjective perspective.