6/15/2018 THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE Infancy's the tender fountain, Power may with beauty flow, Mothers first to guide the streamlets, From them souls unresting grow— Grow on for the good or evil, Sunshine streamed or evil hurled, For the hand that rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules the world. - William Ross Wallace 1
6/15/2018 What is Attachment Attachment is a deep and Evolutionary way for enduring emotional bond caregivers to provide safety that connects one person to and security another across time and space (Bowlby, 1969; Ainsworth 1973). Enhances survival (Bowlby) “lasting psychological Set of learned behaviors connectedness between (Dollard and Miller 1950) human beings” Brief History of Attachment Bowlby beginning in the Current research explores 1960’s – attachment as a set topics like intergenerational of evolutionary behaviors transmission of attachment, that included psychological internal working model goals aspects of attachment, attachment across the life Ainsworth 1970’s and span and attachment and beyond – infant’s affective psychopathology. appraisal of the mother’s behaviors contribute to attachment; Strange Situation lab tests to measure scientifically the attachment system. 2
6/15/2018 Harlow’s Monkeys Conclusions from Harlow For a monkey to develop Emotional damage can be normally, s/he had to have reversed if the monkey was some interaction to a allowed to make an mother with which s/he attachment with a mother could cling during before the end of the critical period Clinging was also what occurred when the monkey was stressed Maternal deprivation leads to emotional damage 3
6/15/2018 Attachment Formation We are “wired” to attach, Nurturing, sensitive, our brain circuitry ensures predictable caregiving wires that we will attach to assist the brain for secure us with survival. attachment. Child is comfortable in the world. Occurs between 6-9 months and is focused for up to 12 Neglectful and/or abusive months, but sensitive caregiving still produces beyond this to 3-5 years of attachment but this age. attachment is not necessarily secure or comforting to the child. Stages of Attachment Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy • Emerson (1964) Longitudinal Study of 60 • babies for 18 months Measured stranger anxiety, • separation anxiety, and social referencing 4
6/15/2018 Stages of Attachment ASOCIAL (0-6 WEEKS) SPECIFIC (7-9 MONTHS) Many kinds of stimuli, Baby looks to a specific both social and non social caregiver for comfort and produce a favorable protection, shows fear of reaction such as a smile. stranger and unhappiness when separated from the INDISCRIMINATE (6 caregiver WEEKS-7 MONTHS) MULTIPLE Babies enjoy human ATTACHMENTS (10 company and respond MONTHS) equally to any caregiver but get upset when they Baby can have and is get no response; at 3 dependent on several months smile more at attachments; usually familiar formed with those who can read their cues the best 10 months and up Mother was the main attachment figure for about half the children; the father for the other half Most important factor in forming attachments was not who fed and changed the baby, but who played, communicated, and was the most responsive to the baby. 5
6/15/2018 Types of Attachment Organized Disorganized Caregiver acts in a way that High risk situations the child knows what to do Parent acts in a way that is in response to the “atypical” caregiver’s actions Does not mean the caregiver acts in a predictable manner Types of Attachment Quality of Caregiving Strategy to deal with Type of Attachment distress Sensitive and Loving Organized Secure Insensitive and Rejecting Organized Insecure-avoidant Insensitive and Inconsistent Organized Insecure-Resistant Atypical Disorganized Insecure- Disorganized 6
6/15/2018 Types of Attachment Secure Insecure - Avoidant Caregiver’s respond in a Caregiver’s response to rejecting way. distress is sensitive and loving Rejection is consistent (baby learns to expect it when distressed). Caregiver’s response to distress is consistent Ignores, ridicules, becomes annoyed with the child. Baby feels free to express Baby learns to avoid the negative emotions that will caregiver or minimize negative emotions. cause the caregiver to comfort them. Risk for adjustment problems Types of Attachment Insecure - Resistant Disorganized Parent behavior is “frightening, Caregiver responds in a way frightened, dissociated, that is unpredictable and sexualized or otherwise atypical”. inconsistent often causes the infant more distress. These behaviors are NOT limited to when their child is distressed. Baby responds with extreme distress to try to get the Baby learns their supposed “haven of safety” is actually attention of the inconsistent something to be feared and caregiver. brings distress. Accounts for 15% of low risk Risk for social emotional infants and 82%of high risk adjustment problems situation infants. 7
6/15/2018 What is “high risk”? Maltreatment Unresolved early loss or trauma in a parent Martial discord Parental depression Parental insensitivity Parental dissociation and frightening behavior Domestic Violence Parental Substance Abuse What does disorganized attachment look like? Stilling or Freezing for a Atypical behaviors such as substantial amount of time pulling of the hair and dazed expression when Apprehension or fear of the parent is present and child parent particularly when is stressed instead of going the child is stressed to the parent Indifference to the parent “Fright without solution” when the child is distressed Seeking proximity to a stranger instead of the parent after the separation 8
6/15/2018 What does secure attachment do for us? Provides the brain with Reduces stress hormone sensory stimulation to help release in the baby the brain grow Teaches the baby that the Allows the baby to be world is a safe place to soothed when s/he is in explore distress Helps the baby grow up to Gives the baby a sense of have secure relationships belonging Child Trauma Witnessing or experiencing an • event that poses a real or perceived threat The event overwhelms that child’s • ability to cope 9
6/15/2018 Types of Trauma ACUTE – single event that MEDICAL- chronic illness, is limited in time. injury and/or the treatment CHRONIC – multiple traumatic events, effects are HISTORICAL – personal or cumulative historical events or COMPLEX – Profound prolonged experiences that impact on every aspect of impact several generations. child’s development, usually caused by a caregiver and/or includes system trauma Long Term High risk coping behaviors Alcoholism Drug abuse Depression Suicide attempts Medical issues (sexually transmitted disease, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, and liver disease) 10
6/15/2018 Adverse Childhood Experience Adverse Childhood Experiences 11
6/15/2018 What Builds A Brain? Brain development occurs when stimulated by interactions with caregivers. Serve and Return – interactions between caregiver and child that shape development Secure attachment allows the child to feel safe about exploring, knowing that the caregiver can soothe any distress. The more something is repeated – the stronger the connection Serve and Return 12
6/15/2018 Trauma and the Brain Early childhood trauma Exposure to trauma causes causes reduced size of the the brain to develop to help cortex (responsible for child survive; child is most memory, attention, often on alert for danger in perceptual awareness, a state of fight, flight or thinking language and freeze. consciousness). Trauma affects “cross talk” between left and right hemispheres (affect IQ, ability to regulate emotions, reduced sense of safety). What Trauma Does to Young Children Regulatory Issues Arousal Issues 13
6/15/2018 What Trauma Does to Young Children Reduced capacity to explore the environment and master age appropriate tasks Eventual straying from developmental trajectory- regressive behaviors Blame themselves for the trauma due to magical thinking and lack of understanding of cause and effect. Trauma and Attachment Trauma can inhibit Remember needs for secure attachment. secure attachment: Predictable, Nurturing, Consistent responses to Distress that make the baby WHY? feel the world is safe and okay. 14
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