Attachment

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Attachment

• Class 7

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Course Reader 1. Must be up to date on readings
to follow lectures. 2. Want readings to
understand topic, and to benefit from class. 3.
Midterm and Final will include items from
readings. Reader at Affordable Copies, 49
Halsey St. [phone]
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What Are Attunements?
Is attunement basically imitation, mirroring,
echoing of baby's behavior?
X
___YES ___NO
Are attunements typically cross-modal or same
mode? I.e., if baby vocalizes does mom also
vocalize?
X
___ Cross Modal ___ Same Mode
Reference for match is internal state, not simply
external behavior.  Matchs are expressions of
mom's inner state corresponding to baby's inner
state.
X
___ Rapid and unconscious ___ Slow and thought-out
Attunement process is
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Attunement Study Design
10 moms, 5 w baby girls, 5 w baby boys
Moms told to bring baby and two of babys
favorite toys   Moms told to play with baby as
normally do   Interactions videotaped, moms
help score events   Event is 1. Any time
baby showed marked change in emotion 2. Mom
behaved in way that looked like mirroring,
matching, attuning to baby behavior 3. Baby
could either see or hear behavior.
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What Got Scored in Attunement Study
Modality Match voice, face, etc. Dimensions of
Match Intensity   Timing Matches
  Shape Matches  Moms awareness of her own
behavior  Type of Attunement Overmatch, equal
match, undermatch
Absolute level, directional shift
Beat, rhythm, duration
Contour (e.g., up-down-up)
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Functions of attunement
1. To be with (positive) 2. To be with
(negative) 3. Responses pos or neg
reinforcement 4. Tuning increase or decrease
arousal level 5. Restructure interaction
change course of behavior 6. Play routine
Match part of an established play routine
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Results of Attunement Study

• Frequency of attune
• Mode of attunements
•  
• c. Types of attunements
• d. Moms awareness

1 every 65 seconds.
Vocalizations Gestures Facial displays
Mixed mode Cross mode Same mode
48
39
13
Unaware Partly aware Fully aware
38
30
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Functions of attunements
Which is most common, second most common, etc.?
________ Respond ________ Play routine ________
Commune ________ Restructure activity ________
Tune behavior (increase/decrease)
2 - 33
5 - 01
1 - 45
4 - 02
3 - 19
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Main Take-Home Points of Attunement Study
a. Importance of cross-modality of
attunements b. Attunement is relatively
automatic c. Attunement is very constant, almost
continual d. Communing is 1 function
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Attunement and the Sharable Self
Theory of Mind At 9 mos., baby learns it has
mind, and that others do also. Separate minds
(me, others around me) means Im separate. Can
this separation be bridged? Attunement is the
bridge. Provides sense of own/others mental
lives Self and other can connect via
emotional expression Provides sense of what
can be shared.
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Cost of Failed Attunement
Stern People can only put into words inner
experience that they believe is sharable. When
attunement fails, babies become people who
are Less able to articulate and KNOW own inner
lives, Less able to understand others inner
lives Therefore, less able to connect deeply
with others as adults. Less able to develop
sense of self.
What emotional state leads to poor attunement
from moms?
Depression
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Adult to Adult Attunement?
What are ways adults display attunement-like
behaviors? Jacobo Timmerman prison experience
story
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Attachment and the Need for Emotional Connection
in Infancy
No se vive sin amor
One cannot live without love
Harry Harlow wire mother studies Rene Spitz
foundling home study
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(No Transcript)
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DEPRIVATION DWARFISM
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Functions of Separation-Anger
Can anger ever be good for relationships? How so?
1. Overcoming obstacles to reunion   2.
Discourage loved one from going away, or from
being absent during difficult situations.
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Dysfunctional anger
  When anger is so intense or so sustained that
it weakens the bonds the person wants to
protect.   Occurs when the purpose of anger
shifts from deterring separation to seeking
revenge.   Most violently angry kids those
who   a. experience repeated separations.
b. Subject to threat of abandonment
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Emotional Trap of Abandonment Threat
Threat creates anxiety ? Anxiety turns to
angerwhy are you always making me anxious?
? Expressing anger may cause parent to act on
threat ? Child diverts
anger to other targets
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Strange Situation, Mary Ainsworth

• Mom and baby go into a room, baby plays and mom
  sits there.
•  2. Stranger comes in and shares room with mom
  and baby.
•  3. Mom leaves, baby left with stranger
•  4. Mom returns, reunites with baby

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Attachment Styles Identified Through Strange
Situation
 1. Securely Attached (65) Upset when mom
leaves, OK when mom returns.   2. Ambivalently
Attached (15) Wants reunion with mom, but
also shows anger and resentment.   3. Avoidant
(20) Makes no attempt to reconnect with mom
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Attachment Styles and Emotional Range
Secures Full emotional range Moms
acknowledge all emotions  Ambivalents Favor
displaying negative emotions. Why? Moms
selectively responsive to negative
emotions. Avoidants Show little emotions of
any kind Learned that own emotions wont get
maternal response. But they are physiologically
aroused.
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Internal Working Models
 Early attachment experiences shape expectancies
that shape adult personality.  1. Secures
others can be trusted, form secure bonds 2.
Avoidants Others wont be there for them.
Less able to form secure bonds in adulthood.
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Parental Behaviors Related to Attachment Style
1. Responsivity Quick and consistent   2.
General Maternal Sensitivity interpret
signals, respect autonomy, accepting manner,
respect autonomy, accessible, being tender. 3.
Synchronization Keeping in tune and in time
with babys emotions and interests.
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Non-Attachment Related Ways of Shaping
Emotionality
 Warmth and affection as separate from
Attachment    Teaching kids to speak about
emotions Modeling emotions and emotional
responses to situations Responding to some
emotions but not to others
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Change in Responsiveness to Vocalizing vs. Crying
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Teaching Kids How to Think About Emotions
Meta-cognition How to think about thinking, or
how to think about feeling. Kids taught to
think about feeling, and in managing
feelings   a. Less stressed   b. Less negative
emotions in play with others   c. Better school
achievement   d. Fewer behavior problems.
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"Witch" Emotion Do You Prefer? How Others View
you
NEGATIVE
POSITIVE
People View You with ___Anger ___Fear ___Pity ___
Disgust ___Boredom ___Ridicule
People View You with ___Admiration ___Warmth ___A
ttraction ___Unconcern ___Happiness
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"Witch" Emotion Do You Prefer? How You View
Others
NEGATIVE
POSITIVE
You view others with ___Anger ___Disgusted ___Afr
aid ___Guilty ___Sad ___Ashamed
You view others with ___Admiration ___Attraction
___Warmth ___Unconcern ___Happiness
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Participant Characteristics Total participants
37 Gender Female 76 Male 24 Age
22 (1.94) Birth Order Oldest 32
Middle 19 Youngest 35 Only
11 Politics 2.74 (1.13) where 1 Most
Liberal and 7 Most Conservative
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How Others View You Least Wanted Emotion
OVERALL RATINGS Disgust (2.38) Ridicule
(2.62) Anger (2.95) Pity (3.73) Fear
(3.95) Boredom (5.46)
Note Lower score means least desired.
WOMEN'S RATINGS Disgust (2.25) Ridicule
(2.69 Anger (2.79) Fear (3.78) Pity
(4.04) Boredom (5.57)
MEN'S RATINGS Ridicule (2.44) Disgust
(2.78) Pity (2.78) Anger (3.44) Fear
(4.44) Boredom (5.11)
p lt .05
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How Others View You Most Wanted Emotion
OVERALL RATINGS Happy (2.03) Admire (2.62) Warmt
h (2.70) Attracted (2.92) Unconcern (4.81)
Note Lower score means most desired.
WOMEN'S RATINGS Happy (2.04) Admire (2.50) Warmt
h (2.61) Attracted (2.89) Unconcern (4.86)
MEN'S RATINGS Happy (2.00) Admire (2.33) Warmth
(3.00) Attracted (3.00) Unconcern (4.67)
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What Predicts Emotions You Don't Want/Do Want
Directed Toward You
Fear Older dislike more than
younger Disgust Liberals dislike more than
conservatives Ridicule Conservatives dislike
more than liberals Admiration Liberals like more
than conservatives Happiness Conservatives like
more than liberals
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How You View Others Least Wanted Emotion
OVERALL RATINGS Guilty (2.81) Afraid (3.19) Ash
amed (3.30) Sad (3.70) Angry (3.95) Disgust (4.
15)
Note Lower score means least desired.
MEN'S RATINGS Guilty (3.22) Afraid (3.22) Ashame
d (3.22) Sad (3.22) Disgusted (4.00) Angry (4.44
)
WOMEN'S RATINGS Guilty (2.68) Afraid (3.18) Ash
amed (3.32) Sad (3.85) Anger (3.87) Disgusted (
4.21)
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How You View Others Most Wanted Emotion
OVERALL RATINGS Happy (1.41) Warmth (2.41) Admi
re (3.32) Attract (3.86) Unconcern (4.00)
Note Lower score means most desired.
WOMEN'S RATINGS Happy (1.43) Warmth (2.39) Admi
re (3.14) Attract (3.85) Unconcern (4.18)
MEN'S RATINGS Happy (1.33) Warmth (2.44) Unconc
ern (3.44) Admire (3.89) Attract (3.89)
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What Predicts Emotions You Don't Want/Do Want To
Direct Towards Others
Happiness Older like more than
younger Happiness Liberals like more than
conservatives