Judith E. Cox EDLD 6323 September 19, 2006 Chapter 2
Siegel, D. J.
(1999). The developing mind: How
relationships and the brain interact to shape who we
are.
Attachment refers to a process by which an infant attunes its immature brain to the brain of a caregiver. Parents assist infants to cope with emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness so that the child is soothed and knows that this adult will be a haven of safety in times of stress. This process helps infants develop a secure base by stimulating brain connections vital for the child’s self-regulation of emotion.
There are four types of Adult Attachment:
I. Secure: When early relationships allow adults to develop emotional well-being, social competence, and resilience.
II. Dismissing: Adults had parents who were not available to them emotionally and were insensitive to their needs. Such adults rarely remember the details of their childhoods.
III. Preoccupied: Adults are filled with emotional turmoil concerning attachment issues. These adults had parents who were inconsistent in their availability and sensitivity. They would often intrude upon their child’s activity with sudden affection that was emotionally invasive.
IV. Unresolved/Disorganized: Adults had parents who behaved in frightening and disoriented ways. At the extremes parental behavior involved physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. These individuals have clinical difficulties such as affect regulation problems, social difficulties, and problems with attention.
Insecure adults can be helped by a significant relationship with a close friend, romantic partner, or therapist, which allows them to develop out of an insecure status into a secure status. In many cases, an emotional relationship with another person, especially a therapist, is an enriched environment.