Ace the Illinois CWEL Test 2025 – Empower Your Future in Child Welfare!

The correct answer is the separation-individuation phase, which typically occurs during a child's development as they begin to recognize themselves and their primary caregivers as distinct beings. This stage generally takes place between ages 4 and 24 months and is vital for a child's emotional and social growth. During this phase, children start to explore their environment while still seeking comfort and assurance from their primary attachment figures, leading to a healthy sense of independence and personal identity.

In contrast, attachment disorder is a condition that arises when a child fails to form a healthy emotional bond with their caregiver, which can disrupt the process of separation-individuation. The grief process refers to the emotional experience associated with loss, not the developmental stages of recognizing relational boundaries. The symbiotic stage, which precedes the separation-individuation phase, refers to a period in early infancy when the infant feels an amalgamation with the mother, lacking an awareness of being a separate individual. Understanding the dynamics of these phases helps clarify the importance of the separation-individuation stage in developing a child's sense of self and interpersonal relationships.