7: Attachment and Emotion Regulation

Question 1

Emotion regulation

Answer 1

All strategies to increase, maintain or decrease components of an emotional response

Question 2

Coregulation

Answer 2

Interactions that provide children with support to understand, express and modulate early behaviours.

Question 3

How do parents coregulate throughout development?

Answer 3

• provide warm relationship
• structure the environment
• teach/coach regulation skills

Question 4

Attachment theory

Answer 4

Behavioural system through which children seek comfort from another person to regulate their distress. Attachment figure must provide a safe haven (comfort) and secure base (exploration)

Question 5

Internal Working Model of Attachment

Answer 5

Internal representation which indicates the child’s feelings of self worth and impacts later relationships.

Question 6

Cause of individual differences in attachment behaviours

Answer 6

Schemas from experiences with parents become embedded in the IWM - manifest as individual differences and defences.

Question 7

Phases of attachment

Answer 7

• birth to 2-3 mths: indiscriminate responsiveness
• 2-3 to 6-7 mths: discriminating responsiveness
• 6-7 mths to 3 yrs: true attachment/active proximity seeking
• • develop person permanence and stranger fear
• 3+ years: goal-corrected partnership / can accept parent absence

Question 8

Describe strange situation procedure

Answer 8

• initial play
• stranger enters
• parent leaves (separation 1)
• parent returns (reunion)*
• parent leaves
• stranger joins child
• parent returns

Question 9

Secure attachment response

Answer 9

• balance between exploration and responsiveness to parent

- caregiver usually prompt, predictable

Question 10

Insecure avoidant response

Answer 10

• focus on exploration rather than interaction
• caregiver may be uninvolved or intrusive
• forms defensive strategy for independence
• hypoactive response (NA minimised)

Question 11

Insecure anxious/ambivalent pattern ‘C’

Answer 11

• monitoring/clinging over exploration
• caregiver may be inconsistent or have delayed responses
• defensive strategy to amplify needs

Question 11

Insecure anxious pattern ‘C’

Answer 11

• monitoring/clinging over exploration
• caregiver may be inconsistent or have delayed responses
• defensive strategy to amplify needs

Question 12

Ainsworth & Bell dimensions of caretaking & attachment

Answer 12

Sensitivity/Insensitivity
Acceptance/Rejection
Cooperation/Intrusiveness
Accessibility/Ignoring

Question 13

Disorganisation

Answer 13

• Caregiver frightening or frightened
• no functional defensive strategy
• IWM may be damaged

Question 14

How does attachment influence development?

Answer 14

• Secure attachment as protective factor against psychopathology
• Insecure attachment as risk factor

Question 15

Attachment

Answer 15

Caregiver’s capacity to engage in AFFECT ATTUNEMENT and COREGULATION of emotion, as well as providing secure base and safe haven