During which stage (9–15 months) is the infant described as practicing by exploring and crawling away from the mother?

• A. Normal Symbiotic Phase
• B. Separation/Individuation Phase
• C. Practicing Stage
• D. Rapprochement Stage

Answer: (C)

In Mahler’s separation–individuation view, late infancy brings a push for independence while the caregiver remains a secure base. Around nine to fifteen months, the child enters the Practicing Stage, where locomotion is used as a tool to test autonomy. The infant crawls or moves away to explore the environment, practicing independence, but still returns to the mother for emotional reassurance and safety. This period reflects a growing sense that the child is a separate being from the caregiver, with exploration followed by affectionate reorientation back to the caregiver. It sits within the larger Separation/Individuation phase, after the Normal Symbiotic Phase and before the later Rapprochement Stage, which involves renewed ambivalence about separation.