Neurobiology and programming capacity of attachment learning to nurturing and abusive caregivers

Roth, Tania L.; Barr, Gordon A.; Lewis, Michael J.; Sullivan, Regina M.

doi:10.1002/9781118931684.ch6

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 142 publications

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“…The neural processes underlying attachment during sensitive periods have been identified and studied in different birds and non-human mammals ( Knudsen, 2004 ; Sullivan and Holman, 2010 ; Landers and Sullivan, 2012 ; Knudsen, 2013 ; Nakamori et al, 2013 ; Roth et al, 2016 ; Feldman, 2017 ; Opendak et al, 2017 ; Opendak and Sullivan, 2019 ). These studies suggest the possible neural underpinnings of imprinting in the human brain.…”

Section: Attachment Dimensions and The Imprinted Personalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

How Our Caregivers Shape Who We Are: The Seven Dimensions of Attachment at the Core of Personality

Gagliardi

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Psychology defines personality as the stable traits of an individual, and cognitive research suggests that a set of core beliefs is at the root of these traits. From this perspective, two major questions remain unanswered: (1) What are the core beliefs that make up personality? (2) How are they acquired? An interesting answer is provided by attachment theory, according to which attachment is at the basis of personality. The current theoretical formulation, however, does not sufficiently clarify the relationship between the two. Adopting a cognitive-clinical approach, we put forward a novel version of attachment theory, arguing that it can better account for the relationship between attachment and personality, thereby providing more convincing answers to questions (1) and (2). In particular, we propose that: (A) attachment information is acquired over seven dimensions; (B) the acquisition of each dimension is induced by a specific caregiving feature and (C) realized through a specific acquisition mechanism – imprinting. In a nutshell, we propose an Attachment-Personality Model (APM) according to which seven attachment dimensions constitute the knowledge core of personality. We finally discuss the significant implications of the model, especially its clinical application in terms of conception, assessment, and treatment of mental disorders. The model can be empirically tested, and we suggest three ways to do that.

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Section: Attachment Dimensions and The Imprinted Personalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

How Our Caregivers Shape Who We Are: The Seven Dimensions of Attachment at the Core of Personality

Gagliardi

2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…3.4.2). Such a mechanism, which has been first assumed by attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969(Bowlby, /1982 and then supported by neuroscientific research (Feldman, 2017;Knudsen, 2004Knudsen, , 2013Landers & Sullivan, 2012;Nakamori et al, 2013;Opendak et al, 2017;Opendak & Sullivan, 2019;Roth et al, 2016;Schore, 1994Schore, , 2009Sullivan & Holman, 2010;Turnbull & Solms, 2003), provides durable knowledge. 2.…”

Section: Stability Of Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…"Optimal attachment communications directly affect the maturation of ( 1) the central nervous system (CNS) limbic system that processes and regulates socialemotional stimuli and ( 2) the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that generates the somatic aspects of emotion." (Schore, 2009, p. 110) Therefore, it is clear that the attachment-caregiving dyadic relationship influences the child's biology and psychology at their root (Feldman, 2015(Feldman, , 2017Landers & Sullivan, 2012;Roth et al, 2016;Schore, 2000). Indeed, attachment dimensions can be regarded as psychological variables whose value is set during early attachmentcaregiving interactions.…”

Section: Physical Proximity For Psychological Reasonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Programming The Mind – The Seven Dimensions of Attachment in Personality and Psychopathology

Gagliardi

2024

Preprint

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This book presents an innovative, comprehensive theoretical framework for Clinical Psychology: The MAPP – Mind Architecture, Personality, and Psychopathology. Through a cognitive-evolutionary perspective, the theory builds the common ground necessary to integrate the different and valuable contributions from all schools and orientations in Clinical Psychology. Moreover, the engineering approach embraced by the MAPP offers a methodological direction through which such contributions can be further developed. The focus is on the individual psychological differences caused by the information stored in a standard, organically healthy brain substrate. As its name suggests, the theory is divided into the following three parts.1. An architecture of the mind (and motivational systems), which provides a general model of its structures and functions consisting of a multitude of interconnected modules. Motivational and data systems are the central part of the architecture, and the attachment motivational system and data module play a pivotal role in human psychology.2. A model of personality according to which attachment is at its core. Attachment theory is revised and extended, identifying seven attachment dimensions – disorganization, avoidance, ambivalence, phobicity, depressivity, somaticity, and obsessivity – acquired through imprinting in attachment-caregiving interactions. We are biological machines programmed by our caregivers.3. A Model of (behavior and) psychopathology. The outlined models of motivation and personality underpin a new model of behavioral dynamics and mental disorders. Psychopathology is characterized by a central causal chain: negative social relationships cause dysfunctional knowledge to be acquired, and this knowledge causes mental disorders. The most common pathologies stem from attachment dimensions. By clarifying their etiology, the model allows for a deeper understanding of mental disorders and the development of more effective assessment tools and treatments.Finally, the MAPP is tested through the discussion of ten complex case studies inspired by the literature.Overall, the MAPP provides a novel theoretical framework for Clinical Psychology that empowers the discipline to overcome its current principal limits with a significant impact on assessment and treatment. The theory is particularly suitable for Artificial Intelligence applications and the development of automatic assessment tools.

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“…However, if these individuals continue to display prepared-fear-suppression-effects, it would suggest that the placeholder was not impacted by early caregiver trauma. Animal work suggests that abusive caregivers are still preferred ( 55), yet early life abuse leads to differential neural and psychological development (56) and reduced social buffering in the face of threat (57), raising questions about how this early life experience might impact the social-support placeholder.…”

Section: Next Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reclassifying the Unique Inhibitory Properties of Social Support Figures: A Roadmap for Exploring Prepared Fear Suppression

Hornstein¹,

Craske²,

Fanselow³

et al. 2022

Biological Psychiatry

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This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

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Neurobiology and programming capacity of attachment learning to nurturing and abusive caregivers

Cited by 5 publications

References 142 publications

How Our Caregivers Shape Who We Are: The Seven Dimensions of Attachment at the Core of Personality

How Our Caregivers Shape Who We Are: The Seven Dimensions of Attachment at the Core of Personality

Programming The Mind – The Seven Dimensions of Attachment in Personality and Psychopathology

Reclassifying the Unique Inhibitory Properties of Social Support Figures: A Roadmap for Exploring Prepared Fear Suppression

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