This article reviews the literature on psychological symbiosis in order to sharpen the concept's meaning and establish descriptive criteria for its application to a broad range of care-giver/infant interactions. Supplemental examples of symbiotic interactions are provided from the diaries of Clara and William Stem, specifically from the first 18 months of their first-born daughter, Hilde. A stage approach leads to the distinction between physical and psychological symbiosis, expanded portrayal of the break-up of symbiosis, a call for new terminology to fully account for the intersubjective and cooperative relationship between care-givers and infants, and application of foundationalist principles to emphasize non-rational aspects of care-giver/infant interactions. Some ways in which the symbiosis metaphor is relevant to ongoing debates between social constructionists and critical personalists are discussed.
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