Selma H. Fraiberg was Professor of Child Psychoanalysis and Director of the Infant-Parent Program of San Francisco General Hospital, University of California School of Medicine. Her articles were published widely in professional and popular magazines.

“Timeless… its blend of wit, knowledge, and practical advice has made this book a perennial favorite of parents, educators, and anyone who has ever been an intrepid voyager in the bewitching kingdom of early childhood.” —The Washington Times “Unsurpassed in its clarity, reliability, and humanity.” —The New York Times Book Review “An expert with a gift for writing describes how children mature from birth to six years old … [Fraiberg] discusses theories and facts about feeding, talking, sex education, fantasy, self-control, fear, and other subjects in practical terms of daily living.” —Parents' Magazine “The Magic Years is far and aboe the best description of this early development period.” —Mental Health Bulletin

• CONTENTSPREFACEPart I. INTRODUCTION1. All About Witches, Ogres, Tigers, and Mental HealthA Fable.What Is Mental Health?What Is Anxiety?First: A Human Protector Against Danger.The Ego Defends Against Danger."Laughing Tiger."An Infant Scientist.Imagination, the Intellect and Mental Health.Part II. THE FIRST EIGHTEEN MONTHS2. "Share Off Slumber and Beware..."The New-Born."Why Does the Baby Smile?"The Jig-Saw Puzzle World.On Becoming a Person.The Case of the Vanishing Object.Travel and Perspectives.Locomotion and the Solitary Self.The Missionaries Arrive.At Eighteen Months.3. "Civilization and Its Discontents"What Good Is A Theory?Feeding and Feeding Theories.Disturbances Connected with Separation Anxiety.Activity Brings Problems, Too.Introduction to Bowel Training.Some Disturbances Connected with Bowel Training.Prevention of Disorders Through Early Detection.Part III. EIGHTEEN MONTHS TO THREE YEARS4. In BrobdingnagThe Magician.Abracadabra.A Voyage to Brobdingnag.Magic and Science."I"5. Education Toward RealityThe Building of a Conscience.Weak Spots in the Control System.Helping the Child Overcome His Fears.Part IV. THREE YEARS TO SIX6. A Shift in the Center of the UniverseToward the Age of Reason.Of Mice and Men."Who Am I?" "Where Did I Come From?"About the Oedipus Complex.7. Education for LoveThe Meaning of Sex Education.The Parental Dilemma.How Far Should the Child's Curiosity Be Satisfied?On Giving Sex Information.The Educational Role of the Parents during the Oedipal Phase.Identification.On Being a Girl.On Being a Boy.8. Education of ConscienceThe Dawn of Conscience.Discipline.The Psychology of Punishment.The Acquisition of Moral Values.The Right to Feel.Part V. CONCLUSION9. Toward the FutureAll Kinds of Fortunes.Lessons from the Laboratories of Human Error and Disaster.Lessons from a Model Institution.Can We Insure Against Neurosis?INDEX