Education and Upbringing

Abstract

The elusive fantasy of successfully bringing up children has been present throughout history, whether in various political ideologies or in the hidden desires of parents. Here, we attempt to demonstrate that despite this, from the perspective of psychoanalysis, parents will never be able to programme what they pass on to their children. This is due firstly to the fact that those doing the upbringing lack expertise, and secondly to the fact that children themselves contribute to the upbringing process.