Processing affect

Soothing Perinatal Experiences

In indigenous tribes, infants are kept close to the mother, strapped to her back or breast, with no separation for extended periods.

Winnicott's Mirror Role (1971)

The concept that a mother acts as a mirror for her baby, reflecting the baby’s emotions and expressions back to them, which is crucial for their emotional development.

Healthy Emotional Development

Emotional growth that relies on coordinated and responsive affective communication between a caregiver and an infant.

Atypical Communication (Hewlett & Lamb, 2005)

A deviation from traditional caregiving practices, which may negatively influence emotional development in infants.

Sensitivity to Timing (Henning & Striano, 2011)

Infants’ acute ability to detect even small delays in communication, which can impact their emotional responses.

Depressed Mothers and Communication (Feldman, 2007)

Disruptions in mother-infant interactions, such as decreased eye contact and longer pauses.

Postpartum Depression

Occurring in mothers during the first few months after childbirth, associated with reduced engagement in healthy parenting behaviours.

Reduced Breastfeeding (Pope & Mazmanian, 2016)

A lower likelihood of breastfeeding and other social interactions with the infant, often linked to maternal depression.

Neural Activity in Depressed Mothers (Laurent & Ablow, 2012)

Reduced brain activation when responding to their infants’ cries, indicating emotional disengagement.

Infant Temperament and Parental Depression (Murray et al., 1996)

Emotional Synchrony (Granat et al., 2017)

The coordinated emotional expressions between mother and child, which is often diminished in cases of maternal depression.

Cortisol Reactivity

A biological stress response in infants, heightened by maternal depression, which can affect emotional and physical health.

Arousal Regulation (Schore, 2012; Field, 2010)

The process by which caregivers help infants modulate their emotional and physiological arousal, which is vital for emotional regulation.

Alarm States in Infants

Hyperarousal or immobility in infants caused by failures in affective regulation, leading to stress responses like fight-or-flight.

Defensive Adaptation (Tronick & Beeghly, 2011)

The emotional defense mechanisms infants develop in response to emotionally unavailable caregivers, leading to potential emotional disorganization.

Winnicott's Disconnection of Psyche and Soma (1954)

A pathological state where the mind is disconnected from the body’s needs, often due to disruptions in the emotional relationship with caregivers.

Mirror Self-Recognition

A developmental milestone where infants recognize themselves in a mirror, often associated with secure attachment.

Attachment and Self-Recognition (Lewis et al., 1985)

Secure attachment in infants is linked to an increased ability to recognize themselves in mirrors, compared to insecurely attached infants.

Changes in Adult Attachment Styles (Konrath et al., 2014)

Shifts in attachment behaviors in adults over time, possibly reflecting broader societal or developmental changes.