Compulsive compliance: The development of an inhibitory coping strategy in infancy

Abstract

This study explored the development of young children's behavioral strategies for coping with child abuse. It was hypothesized that infants exposed to the controllingness and harshness of interaction with an abusive mother would first learn to inhibit behavior disagreeable to the mother and later learn to comply with maternal demands. It was expected that this developmental change in abused children's behavior would be adaptive in the short term because it would reduce the probability of continued abuse. In the long term, however, compulsive compliance was expected to be maladaptive because it distorted the child's perception of, and response to, reality. In addition, it was hypothesized that the compliant behavior pattern would be used only with controlling interactants during the first 3 years of life. In other words, the descriptions of defensive patterns of behavior applied indiscriminantly by older abused children were not expected to apply to infants and toddlers. Both hypotheses were supported using data drawn from videotapes of mother-child and other adult-child interaction.

Paternal Alcoholism and Toddler Noncompliance

“…Indeed, analyses with the severity of alcohol problem measures indicated that higher severity of maternal alcohol problem was associated with higher committed compliance, even after controlling for the immediate effects of maternal behavior during interactions (i.e., maternal gentle guidance). Given that mothers with alcohol problems were more antisocial and aggressive, one possible explanation for this finding is that girls of mothers with alcohol problems were displaying the compulsive compliance discussed in the child-abuse literature (see Crittenden, 1992;Crittenden and DiLalla, 1989;Jacobsen and Miller, 1998). Compulsive compliance has been defined as inhibition of behavior that may be disagreeable to an abusive mother and complying with maternal demands promptly and without need for additional maternal intervention.…”

Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents

“…Over-control is a strategy that may counteract the feelings of helplessness and lack of power that are often a daily struggle for chronically traumatized children. Abused children demonstrate rigidly controlled behavior patterns, such as compulsive compliance with adult requests, as early as the second year of life (e.g., Crittenden & DiLalla, 1988). Many traumatized children are very resistant to changes in routine and display rigid behavioral patterns, including inflexible bathroom rituals and eating problems with rigid control of food intake.…”

L'interdépendance entre les sous-systèmes conjugal et parental: une analyse personne-processus-contexte

“…Lorsque les enfants ont eu 4 mois, les dyades ont été filmées dans un contexte de jeu libre afin d'évaluer la sensibilité parentale grâce au CARE-Index (Crittenden & DiLalla, 1988). Le décodage couvre sept dimensions (ex.…”

“…: expression faciale ou vocale) regroupées en trois échelles pour la mère: sensibilité, contrôle, et passivité, et quatre échelles pour l'enfant: coopératif, difficile, passif, et accomodant-compulsif. L'étude portant sur le développe-ment de l'instrument démontrent que ses échelles sont fidèles et valides (Crittenden & DiLalla, 1988). Dans la pré-sente étude, l'accord moyen entre les juges entraînés est de .85 (Kappa).…”