Two Corner Stones of The Psycho-Biological Development of Mankind – The Increase in Frequency of Pregnancies in the Neolithic Revolution and 'Physiological Prematurity'

Abstract

The human being is a product of both biological and psychological factors, the two being interconnected. During the neolithic revolution, stock-farming and agriculture led to protein-enriched nutrition significantly increasing the rate of pregnancy. Women could become pregnant annually, rather than every 4 years or so as before. But this demanded too much of the mother for the bonding needs of her children, and contributed in early high cultures to increased dependency and aggressiveness. Earlier in the evolution of mankind there started a biological development in the direction of shorter duration of pregnancy. Reasons for this were the infant's large brain and the mother's upright posture. This so-called 'physiological prematurity', leaving babies so helpless and vulnerable, led to a unique compensation by development of appeal, using smiles, gestures, voice exchanges and eye-contact. So they gained extra attention from mothers and fathers, and that vital substitute for this early expulsion from the uterus – exceptional extended care. Perhaps from this primal social acquirement comes our creation of protective spaces, characteristic of our cultures – institutions, buildings, social spaces. Dr Janus contemplated the psycho-social implications of shorter pregnancy intervals and the 'psycho-physiological prematurity'.