[originaltext]Interviewer(W) Sean Smith(M)Now, listen to Part One of the

Interviewer(W)       Sean Smith(M)
Now, listen to Part One of the interview.
W: Today I’d like to welcome Sean Smith, a psychologist from Maryland State Research Institute, who is going to talk to us about the normal and sound development of self with adopted child. Hello, Sean.
M: Hello.
W: Now Sean, as we may know, a child is likely to be affected by certain influential factors during his normal development of self. Then what do you think is the most important factor affecting this process?
M: Well,(1)actually several factors may work together to cultivate the self. Among them, a child’s relationship with his mother is ranking on the top of the list, which we may also call, maternal attachment. Infants form an attachment with the mother that must undergo a process of separation and individuation.
W: How do we understand the correlation between separation and individuation?
M: Good question.(2)Object relations psychology examines this relationship, which depends on the ability of the child to separate himself from his object, the mother, and realize that he is a separate individual.
W: All right, then. What are the other factors required to help children realize a sound development of self? Does environment play any role in it?
M:(3)That’s exactly what I am going to talk about next. Absolutely, a safe, loving environment is another necessary component for the development of a healthy self-concept. Certainly, affectionate, caring parents are essential as well. As the child begins to develop his sense of self, he must master certain developmental tasks that are part of growing up.
W: Developmental tasks? That’s a fresh term. Could you present us some concrete examples of such tasks?
M:(4)Developmental tasks may take different forms, such as acquisition of language and toilet training. Anything that interrupts the development of these important skills may interfere with developing a healthy self-concept.
W: What, then, effect does adoption have on the development of a healthy sense of self? Since an infant’s relationship with his mother is so important, according to many psychologists, what effect does being separated from the biological mother have on the adopted child?
M: That depends. For infants adopted at birth, the effect may be minimal, for the infant has often had no opportunity to bond with the biological mother.
W: But what about a child who is older when he is adopted? What effect does adoption have on a toddler?
M: Even if a toddler has been in one foster home since birth and has therefore attached himself to his foster mother, he will likely experience a series of reactions when separated from this caregiver—protest, despair, and detachment—unless his experience is monitored to help him handle the change. Consider a toddler adopted at the age of 18 months who has lived in the same foster home since birth. When he is placed with an adoptive family,(5)he is likely to experience separation anxiety from his foster mother, who can be regarded as symbolically abandoning him as his own biological mother did.
This is the end of Part One of the interview. Questions 1 to 5 are based on what you have just heard.
1. What is the most important factor in the cultivation of the self for a child?
2. According to object relations psychology, what does a child view as an object?
3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as essentials to the development of a healthy self-concept?
4. What is the special problem for adopted children?
5. According to the interview, which of the following statements about adopted children is CORRECT?