Lecture 6 - Emotional Development, Attachment & Temperament-Based Parenting Interventions

comparative perspective

→ Darwin

• claimed that emotional capabilities subject to natural selection → traced links between expressions of emotion in animals to human equivalents

action units

• facial muscles we use in facial expressions (e.g. in expression of emotions)

constrained method

• in research on emotion: e.g. give picture of expression and multiple choice options to choose answer from

unconstrained method

• in research on emotion: e.g. give picture of expression and let people do “free-labeling” (let them come up with emotion)

What are the dimensions in developmental theories in regard to emotional development?

• Darwin & Ekman: nature, passive

• Feldmann Barrett (constructivism): nurture, active

ethology

• approach which emphasizes evolutionary origins of many behaviors that are important for survival

Four questions by Tinbergen

• mechanism (causation) → how does this behavior occur in an individual?

• ontogeny (development) → how does this behavior arise in an individual?

• adaptive value (function) → why is this behavior adaptive for the species?

• phylogeny (evolution) → how does this behavior arise in the species?

Similarities between Erikson’s psychosocial stages and Freud’s psychosexual stages

• developmental stages in which conflict needs to be resolved

Differences between Erikson’s psychosocial stages and Freud’s psychosexual stages

• social conflicts rather than sexual/internal conflicts

Psychosocial stages

• trust vs. mistrust: if needs met, development of basic trust

• autonomy vs. shame/doubt: toddlers learn to exercise will and do things for themselves/doubt abilities

• initiative vs. guilt: preschoolers learn to initiate tasks, carry out plans/feel guilty about efforts to be independent

• industry vs. inferiority: children learn pleasure of applying themselves to tasks/feel inferior

• identity vs. confusion: teenagers work at refining sense of self by testing roles, integrating them to form single identity/become confused about who they are

• intimacy vs. isolation: young adults struggle to form close relationships, to gain capacity for intimate love/feel socially isolated

• generativity vs. stagnation: middle-aged discovers sense of contributing to word/feel lack of purpose

• integrity vs. despair: older adult may feel sense of satisfaction/failure when reflecting on life

Bowlby’s theory

• infant attachment: universal need for close emotional bond between caregiver and child

• innate and universal tendency: proximity of caregiver increases survival chances of child

attachment styles

• secure: healthy communication style, able to ask for help when needed, can self-regulate emotions

• anxious: clinginess, fear of abandonment, needs constant reassurance

• avoidant: difficulty expressing emotions, emotional withdrawal from others, unwilling to ask for help

• disorganized: characteristics of anxious and avoidant style, fear of rejection but difficulty with intimacy, low self worth

internal working models

• evolutionary theory of socialization

• relevant aspects: family context, childrearing (infancy, early childhood), psychological/behavioral development, somatic development, reproductive strategy

• 2 possible types: Type I (atypical, often “unhealthy”), Type II (typical, “healthy”)

emotion

• emotion ranges from simple emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear and anger, to more complex emotions such as self-consciousness and jealousy.

basic emotions

• happiness, interest, surprise, disgust, sadness, distress, anger, fear

complex emotions

• pride, shyness, jealousy, guilt, shame, embarrassment

social referencing

• infants and young children look to their caregiver for ‘advice’ when faced with a difficult or uncertain situation and seek social cues (such as smiling or frowning) to guide their actions.

visual cliff

• a piece of apparatus used to study depth perception in infants, consisting of a glass table with a checkerboard pattern immediately beneath the glass on one half (shallow side) and on the floor below on the other half (deep side).

script

• a generalised framework for commonly experienced events or situations, with a stored representation of what one would expect to happen in such situations.

emotional ambiguity

• the realisation that a person’s feelings may not be clear-cut or match your own emotional response.

peer

• companion of approximately the same age and developmental level.

false belief

• incorrectly believing something to be the case when it is not. Often used in theory of mind research.

mind-mindedness

• caregivers who are able to ‘read’ their infant’s signals appropriately. Maternal mind-mindedness is a good predictor of attachment security.

callous-unemotional traits

• include general poverty of affect, showing lack of remorse and disregard for accepted values

emotion regulation

• adjusting one’s emotional state to a suitable level of intensity. This prevents emotional ‘overload’ and allows one to function in a consistent manner.

temperament

• biologically-based, relatively stable over time, consists of affective, attentional, sensory and behavioral response systems → individual differences

clusters of temperament (6)

• unregulated

• regulated

• high reactivity

• bold

• average

• well-adjusted

unregulated cluster

• high activity, low inhibition, under-controlled → difficult to deal with at home/in classroom

→ benefit from consistent positive interactions, gentle discipline

• Big 5: low on conscientiousness, high on extraversion

regulated cluster

• low activity, anger and approach; high inhibition and attention focus

• well-behaved, over-controlled, reserved

→ benefit from encouragement to try new things

• Big 5: high on conscientiousness, low on extraversion

high reactivity cluster

• high on anger, approach, fear, shyness

• low activity, inhibition and attention focus

→ experience life intensively, easily overwhelmed

→ benefit from consistent positive interactions

• Big 5: high on neuroticism

bold cluster

• high activity and approach, low fear and shyness

• easily excitable, jump into tasks with little hesitation, confident, natural curiosity

→ benefit from organized, structured activities

• Big 5: high on extraversion + openness to experience

average cluster

• average on all temperament traits

• easygoing, but maybe also unmotivated/uninterested

→ may fly under radar, may need extra attention to avoid disengagement from activities

• Big 5: average

well-adjusted cluster

• average on all temperament traits, high on inhibition and attention focus

• easygoing → get along well at school/home

• Big 5: average, high on conscientiousness