Emotional DevelopmentTemperament& Attachment

Modules 9-2 & 9-3

Emotional Development

Basic emotions are universal

They include happiness, fear, anger, surprise, sadness, disgust, interest, etc.

Facial expressions (also universal) are the most reliable cues

What is an emotion?

Emotions are responses, including physiological responses

Sense or experience of feeling

Leads to expression, behavior; can be a motive

Related to thoughts and beliefs as well as immediate experience

Functionalist view of Emotion

What is their purpose? Emotions are means of communicating

and play a role in relationships. They are also linked to an individual’s

goals and motivation toward progress and overcoming obstacles.

Subjective evaluation of good and bad; comparable to pain in the physical realm

Emotional Competence - Sarnii

Awareness of emotional state Detecting other’s emotions Using emotional vocabulary appropriately Empathy and sympathy Realizing that inner emotional states do not

always correspond to expression Awareness that emotional expression plays a

large role in relationships Adaptively coping with negative emotions

What is emotional intelligence (EQ)?

Gardners “interpersonal intelligence” Salovey & Mayer (1990): ability to

perceive and express emotion accurately MSCEIT (2002) Mayer-Salovey-Caruso

Emotional Intelligence Test Daniel Goleman (1995) Published a book,

“Emotional Intelligence”

What is emotional intelligence (EQ)?

Salovey & Mayer (1990): ability to perceive and express emotion accurately, including:

taking perspective

understanding the roles of emotion in relationships

using feelings to facilitate thought

managing emotions such as anger

Emotions Gone Awry

. . . Are the basis for some mental disorders. Clinical depression Bipolar disorder Anxiety disorders Intermittent explosive disorder Antisocial personality disorder

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Infant & Toddler Personality

Basic Trust vs. Mistrust 1st year of life Quality of the caregiver’s behavior

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt 2nd year of life Reasonable expectations for impulse

control

Emotional Development in Infancy

Primary emotions Emerge early in life (first year) Are culturally universal Include

• Surprise Sadness• Joy Fear• Anger Disgust

Emotional Milestones

Birth attraction & withdrawal

2-3 mos. Social smile, respond to

facial expression

3-4 mos. Laugh at active stimuli

6-8 mos. Anger, fear, attachment

8-12 mos. Social referencing

18-30 mos. Self-conscious emotions

(shame, guilt, pride)

Fear

Appears in the 2nd half of the 1st year Intensifies & remains until 18+ months Stranger anxiety is the most frequent

expression of fear Stranger & situational characteristics

Separation protest also appears Partially depends upon temperament

and experiences

Anger

Appears about 6-8 months

Generalized distress is present in young infants

Anger in older babies may be in response to frustration

Social Referencing

Reading others’ emotional cues to determine how to respond to a situation

Infants become better at this in the second year of life

We still do this as adults, e.g., panic, riots, looting, helping behavior

Regulation of Emotions

Key dimension of development Ability increases with age & development Shifts from external to internal in infancy Individuals develop strategies for this With age children develop greater capacity

to: Modulate arousal Select & manage situations Finding effective ways to cope with stress

Emotional Self-Regulation

Strategies used to adjust one’s own emotional state to a comfortable level

Young infants turn away, suck, are easily overwhelmed

Ability to self-regulate increases with brain development, experience, ability to shift attention and to move

Older infants distract themselves, leave the situation

Emotions and the Self

Self-conscious emotions:

Do not appear in animals May not be universal Require self-awareness Emerge later (1 ½ - 2 ½ years)

Self-conscious Emotions Include empathy, embarrassment, envy,

pride, shame, guilt

Involve injury to or enhancement of the sense of self

Appear as the sense of self emerges

Require adult instruction in when to feel proud, ashamed or guilty

Self-conscious Emotions

Shame, pride & guilt Pride most often occurs in response to

successful achievement Shame is a global response to a threat to the

self, also other-directed; reflects inability Guilt is in response to specific failure, reflects

culpability

These emotions serve to regulate the child’s behavior

Emotional DevelopmentSelf-conscious emotions

By age 3, these are clearly linked to self-evaluation

Parents should give feedback about performance, not the worth of the child. This causes intense self-conscious emotional experience.

Self-conscious emotions

Beginning in early childhood, shame is associated with feelings of personal inadequacy, withdrawal and depression, anger and aggression. Underuse shame in our culture

Guilt is related to good adjustment.

Reasons for guilt or shame must be considered.

Emotional Development – Ages 2-4

Emotional vocabulary expands rapidly

Come to understand causes, consequences, and behavioral signs of emotion

Emphasize external factors

Can predict what people will do based on emotion

Emotional Development – Ages 2-4

Small children do not deal well with conflicting cues (mixed emotions).

Securely attached children are advanced in emotional understanding.

Emotionally negative children experience more peer rejection.

Maternal Depression & Child Development

Babies of depressed mothers are irritable and have attachment difficulties

They sometimes withdraw into depression, or imitate parental anger

They can become impulsive & antisocial

They develop a negative world view, lack self-confidence, & perceive others as threatening

Middle & Late Childhood

Increasing awareness of the need for emotional management ability to understand complex emotions tendency to take events, situation into account

Improved ability to conceal negative emotions

Use self-directed strategies to redirect feelings: distractions, denial, redirection

Gender Differences – Emotional Expression

Elementary School Boys hide emotions like sadness more Girls hide disappointment

Adolescence Girls feel more sadness, shame, guilt Boys deny their emotions

Adolescence

Moodiness and extreme, but fleeting emotions

5th to 9th grade, 50% decrease in being “very happy”

Environmental circumstances may be more important than hormones to this process

Emotions in Adulthood

Older adults report: Fewer negative emotions Better emotional control More positive emotions

More selective social relationships

May have to do with the passage of time

Temperament

Stable individual differences in quality and intensity of emotional reaction, activity level, attention, and emotional self-regulation

New York Longitudinal Study (1956), Thomas & Chess, most comprehensive study of temperament to date• 141 children followed from infancy into adulthood

Temperament

NYLS findings

Temperament is related to whether a person will experience psychological problems

Parenting practices can modify children’s emotional styles considerably

Temperament - Dimensions

Activity level Rhythmicity Distractibility Approach/withdrawal Adaptability Attention span/persistence Intensity of reaction Threshold of responsiveness

Quality of mood

Temperament - Types Easy (40%) – quickly establish regular

routines, generally cheerful, adapts well to new experiences

Difficult (10%) – irregular, slow to accept new experiences, reacts negatively and intensely

Slow-to-warm-up (15%) – mild reactions, adjusts slowly to new experience

• (35% not classified)

Measuring Temperament

Parental interviews or questionnaires. Convenient Depth of knowledge Biased & subjective

Behavior ratings by pediatricians, teachers, and others

Observation

Is Temperament Biological?

It is often believed to be biological.

Identical twins have more similar temperaments than fraternal ones.

There are consistent ethnic and sex differences.

These may be explained by parenting differences as well as genetic differences.

Is Temperament Biological?

However, it only has low to moderate stability from one developmental period to the next.

Temperament develops with age.

It can be modified by experiences, but not from one extreme to the other.

Temperament: Continuity with Adulthood

Easy babies well adjusted in early adulthood

Difficult babies have social problems Men – less education Women – marital problems

Patterns of inhibition & emotional control also appear to persist

Temperament & Goodness-of-Fit

Creation of child-rearing environments that recognize temperament and encourage adaptive functioning.

Difficult children are at risk for adjustment problems because they withdraw and react negatively.

Western parents tend to resort to angry, punitive discipline. The child responds with defiance/disobedience. Parents give in and model inconsistency.

Kagan’s Behavioral Inhibition Shy, subdued, timid child

Vs. Sociable, bold, extraverted child

Inhibition to the unfamiliar

Begins about 7-9 months of age

Shyness is considered a negative in American culture (social anxiety).

Biological Inhibition Pattern

High, stable heartrate

High cortisol levels

High activity in right frontal lobes

Attachment & Daycare

Modules 9-1 & 14-1

What Is Attachment?

Attachment – an emotional bond between two people

When, how & why does Attachment develop?

By 6 months, infants show obvious signs of attachment to their mothers (primary caregivers)

Freud suggested that this is the foundation for all later relationships.

Psychoanalysts & behaviorists thought that feeding was the basis for attachment.

What is the basis for Attachment?

1950s-Harry Harlowe showed that contact comfort rather than feeding was the basis for attachment in monkeys

Baby monkeys preferred terrycloth to wire “surrogate mothers”

Social Development

Harlow’s Surrogate Mother Experiments Monkeys preferred

contact with the comfortable cloth mother, even while feeding from the nourishing wire mother

Assessing attachment:Ainsworth: The Strange Situation

1 Parent/baby in playroom 2 Parent seated, baby plays 3 Stranger enters 4 Parent leaves, stranger responds to baby 5 Parent returns, stranger leaves 6 Parent leaves 7 Stranger enters & offers comfort 8 Parent returns

Attachment PatternsSecure – (65%) parent is a secure base; may cry at

separation; seek contact on return

Insecure Avoidant – (20%) unresponsive to parent; not distressed when leaves; treat stranger like parent; slow to greet on reunion

Insecure Resistant – (10-15%) seek closeness, cling, fail to explore; cry at separation angry, resistive behavior on return; not easily comforted

Disorganized/disoriented – (5-10%) confused, contradictory behavior; odd postures; flat emotion; fearful

Attachment & Later Development

Attachment provides inner feelings of affection & security.

Securely attached preschoolers were high in self-esteem, socially competent, cooperative and popular.

Avoidantly attached agemates were isolated and disconnected.

Resistantly attached agemates were disruptive and difficult.

Attachment Styles

Mary Ainsworth (1979) identified three attachment styles between infants and caregiver:

Secure attachment style (70%) - caregiver is responsive to infant’s needs; infant trusts caregiver

Avoidant attachment style (20%) - caregiver is distant or rejecting; infant suppresses desire to be close to caregiver

Ambivalent attachment style (10%) - caregiver is inconsistently available and overbearing with affection; infant clings anxiously to caregiver and then fights against closeness by pushing away

Links Between Attachment in Childhood and Close Relationships in Adulthood

Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver (1987) examined continuity between childhood attachment and romantic relationships

Securely attached infants are more likely to have a secure attachment to adult romantic partner

Individuals with avoidant attachment style in childhood find it difficult to develop intimate relationship in adulthood

Individuals can revise attachment styles in adulthood

Long-term Effects

Stroufe & others, 2005

Longitudinal study (later childhood/teens) Positive emotional health Higher self-esteem Self-confidence Social competence with peers, teachers,

counselors, romantic partners

Attachment & Later Development

Securely attached had better social skills and relationships with peers.

Secure attachment leads to improved cognition, better social and emotional competence in later years.

Disorganized attachment is consistently related to high hostility and aggression in school

Study of children age 11 at summer camp

Attachment & Later Development

Continuity of caregiving The picture can change over the years. The best predictor of adult function is

not secure attachment in infancy, but whether the child experienced a family divorce.

Attachment in Adolescence• Study using the AAI – Adult Attachment Interview

Teenagers securely attached to parents have better: Social competence Self esteem Emotional adjustment Physical health Behavior (fewer problem behaviors)

Types of Attachment in Adolescence

Secure autonomous Dismissing avoidant

• Rejected by caregiver; deny importance of attachment; related to violent behavior

Preoccupied ambivalent• Attachment seeking; parent inconsistently

available; high conflict Unresolved disorganized

• Had traumatic experience; disoriented, fearful

Adult Attachment Styles

Secure – good relationships

Insecure avoidant – difficulty establishing relationships; quickly end relationships; prone to one-night stands, depression

Ambivalent – less trusting, more jealous, tend to anger and emotional intensity

Factors in Security of Attachment

I. Opportunity – orphans, working parents

2. Baby’s Characteristics - temperament

3. Family Context

4. Quality of Caregiving - Erikson

Factors – 1. Opportunity

Institutionalized babies often have emotional difficulties because they are prevented from establishing a bond.

Adoptions show the first bond can be established as late as 4-6 years.

These children may have an excessive desire for adult attention and few friendships.

Factors – 2. Baby Characteristics

Prematurity, birth complications, newborn illness.

Temperamentally difficult babies?

Factors – 3. Family Circumstances

Divorce

Financial strain

Career demands/role conflicts

Parents’ childhood experiences

Factors – 4. Quality of Caregiving

Sensitive caregiving and interactional synchrony related to secure attachment across cultures

Overly stimulating, intrusive care associated with avoidant attachment.

Inconsistent care associated with resistant attachment.

Child abuse and neglect associated with disorganized attachment.

Children in Childcare In U.S. Currently 2+ million children in childcare; 5+ million in

kindergarten

Parental Preferences• Relative care• Non-relative (unlicensed) care• Child-care Center

Employer Church Commercial

Percentages of children shift from relative to commercial as the children get older.

Quality of Childcare Factors

Provider training Adult to child ratio (<10; <20) Planned curriculum Rich Language Environment (conversation) Sensitive caregivers (when to intervene) Appropriate materials and activities Safety & Cleanliness

Cognitive Development

Rule of Thumb

Daycare attendance slows the cognitive development of middle-class children somewhat.

Daycare speeds up the cognitive development of disadvantaged children.

Unrealistic Comparisons

Can anybody afford daycare this good?

Example: Harvard Demonstration Project

Staff pediatrician Non-teaching director 3:1 infant/teacher ratio Teachers and aides trained to smile

Childcare and Attachment

Childcare children at 15 months with unresponsive mothers showed insecure attachment; not at 36 months

Vanelli (2004) Children in daycare <30 hours/week compared to

children in daycare >40 hours. More daycare• More illness• More behavior problems• Less sensitive interaction with mother

Attachment & Daycare

Infants placed in full-time child care before 12 months of age are more likely to display insecure attachment (Belsky, 1992).

Explanations:

Could be mom’s work stresses,Could be healthy autonomy.Could be quality of daycare.Could be an interaction effect.

Attachment & Childcare

NICHD Study (longitudinal, 1300 children)

Regardless of quality of care, children 4.5 – 5 years old, children averaging 30 hours or more per week of daycare were rated by mothers, caregivers, and kindergarten teachers as having more behavior problems, especially defiance, disobedience, and aggression.

What is the purpose of daycare anyway?

Babysitting for working moms

Fear that your child will get behind

China – good academic start

Japan – experience as a group member

U.S. - To make children more independent

Start children on the road to good citizenship