A developmental line of time sense during the oedipal phase and latency is described. Subjective lime sense is seen as constantly evolving, shaped by the emergence of cognitive capacities, significant emotional themes, and environmental influences. Temporal development during these phases is unique because the capacity to tell objective time is present for the first time. Significant emotional influences are the Oedipus complex, infantile neurosis, and superego formation. The concepts of Mother Time and Father Time are presented as useful descriptors of the child's intrapsychic representation of the chief environmental effectors of temporal organization. Clinical examples demonstrate that the development of time sense can be unaffected, impeded, or incorporated into psychopathology.
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