From Rackets to Pacifiers: A Humanistic Approach

Abstract The author presents a model for reframing the concept of rackets. She critiques the early literature regarding rackets and looks at their self-soothing role. The term “pacifiers” is introduced as an alternative to “rackets” to suggest that a humanistic perspective provides a more valuable approach to understanding intrapsychic processes. Drawing from her psychotherapeutic experience working with parents of infants as well as adult clients, the author emphasizes the role of genetic predisposition and body in the development of rackets. The model identifies the parenting tasks that facilitate emotional intelligence during infancy and suggests a link between the impact of parenting and the subsequent development of rackets. Different types of rackets are illustrated, and the causes of the individual choice of specific rackets are identified.