RESUMO
The quality of the parent-child relationship and the contents of the concept of childhood cannot be separated from the general social situation. The understanding of the child world and its perception of as equivalent to the world of adults is associated as an integral part with humanization and spiritual advances of civilization and depends on the economic standard of society and our ability to understand the spiritual heritage of our civilization. There exists still a deeply rooted mechanism where many families under conditions of stress (social, economic etc.) ventilate their tension and aggressiveness on the child. Battering and abuse of children (except for pathological personality of the parent) is an atavistic remnant of the perception of childhood as a period of incompetence of the individual. The basic manifestations shifted, however, from the transparent and socially tolerated victim of the child to the present--latent and hidden refined "victim" which tortures the child in particular from the mental and emotional aspect. Today we no longer sacrifice the child but much more frequently his childhood. Because of his physical weakness and mental lability even today children are still considered a suitable object for ventilating aggression, temptation to abuse power. In addition to refuting any abuse, battering and neglect of children it must be admitted that this "socially unacceptable behaviour" is encountered less than formerly. An important role is also played by the economic and cultural standard of society. Similarly as certain economic prerequisites are necessary for democracy, economic conditions play an important part in an emancipated concept of childhood and empathic upbringing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
