Nurturing Natures: Attachment and Children’s Emotional, Sociocultural and Brain Development

381 Pages·2016·7.267 MB·English

by  Graham Music

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Nurturing

Natures
This new edition of the bestselling text, Nurturing Natures, provides an indis-
pensable synthesis of the latest scientific knowledge about children’s emotional
development. Integrating a wealth of both up-t o- date and classical research
from areas such as attachment theory, neuroscience, developmental psychol-
ogy and cross- cultural studies, it weaves these into an accessible, enjoyable text
that always keeps in mind children recognisable to academics, practitioners and
parents.
It unpacks the most significant influences on the developing child, includ-
ing the family and social context. It looks at key developmental stages from life in
the womb to the pre- school years and right up until adolescence, covering impor-
tant topics such as genes and environment, trauma, neglect or resilience. It also
examines how children develop language, play and memory and, new to this edi-
tion, moral and prosocial capacities. Issues of nature and nurture are addressed
and the effects of different kinds of early experiences are unpicked, creating a
coherent and balanced view of the developing child in context.
Nurturing Natures is written by an experienced child therapist who has
used a wide array of research from different disciplines to create a highly read-
able and scientifically trustworthy text. This book should be essential reading
for childcare students, for teachers, social workers, health visitors, early years
practitioners and those training or working in child counselling, psychiatry and
mental health. Full of fascinating findings, it provides answers to many of the
questions people really want to ask about the human journey from conception
into adulthood.
Graham Music is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist at The
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and an adult therapist in private
practice.
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Nurturing Natures

Attachment and Children’s Emotional,
Sociocultural and Brain Development
Second Edition
Graham Music
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This edition published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Graham Music
The right of Graham Music to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
First edition published 2011 by Psychology Press
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
CIP data has been applied for.
ISBN: 978- 1- 138- 10143- 2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 1- 138- 10144- 9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978- 1- 315- 65693- 9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times
by Out of House Publishing
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This book is dedicated to my dad,
who I loved deeply and miss dearly.
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C
o
Contents

n
t
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xiv
e
1 Introduction: the blind men
and the elephant 1

NATURE AND NURTURE 2
n
MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES 3
UN- NURTURED AND FERAL CHILDREN 6
THE CHAPTERS 7
t
Part I
BEGINNINGS OF EMOTIONAL
s
AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 11

2 Life begins: from conception
to birth 13

OBSERVING THE UNBORN BABY 15
WHERE DOES PARENTAL INFLUENCE START? THE
MEETING OF BIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY 16
LASTING EFFECTS, SOCIAL EFFECTS 18
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CONTENTS
BEING BORN 20
KEY POINTS 21
3 Born to relate 23

IMMATURITY 24
BONDING: HUMANS ARE NOT GREY- LAG GEESE 25
INFANT IMITATION AND CONTINGENCY 28
ATTUNEMENT, AFFECT REGULATION AND MARKING 29
MATERNAL INSTINCT QUESTIONED: ABANDONMENT AND INFANTICIDE 30
ENTRAINMENT, CULTURE AND BECOMING ONE OF US 31
KEY POINTS 33
4 Infant coping mechanisms, mismatches
and repairs in relating 35

IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO: BLIND BABIES, PREMATURE BABIES
AND SENSITIVE BABIES 37
EARLY EMOTIONAL DEFENCES 39
MISMATCHES AND DODGES 40
THE EFFECT OF MATERNAL DEPRESSION AND OTHER MENTAL
HEALTH PROBLEMS 43
KEY POINTS 46
5 Empathy, self and other minds 47

EARLY PRECURSORS OF UNDERSTANDING OTHER MINDS 48
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAPS FROM NINE MONTHS AND ONWARDS 50
THEORY OF MIND 53
MIRROR NEURONS AND RIZZOLATTI’S MONKEYS 54
EXCEPTIONS: NEGLECTED, MALTREATED AND AUTISTIC CHILDREN 55
KEY POINTS 57
Part II
OVERARCHING BODIES OF IDEAS 59

6 Attachment 61

ATTACHMENT THEORY’S SECOND PHASE: AINSWORTH’S
STRANGE SITUATION TEST AND CRITTENDEN’S DYNAMIC
MATURATIONAL MODEL 63
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CONTENTS
ATTACHMENT INSIDE US 66
TRANSMISSION OF ATTACHMENT 68
ATTACHMENT THEORY AND CULTURE 70
ATTACHMENT AND DISORDERS 72
KEY POINTS 73
7 The importance of culture 75

SOME DIFFERENCES 77
SOCIOCENTRIC AND EGOCENTRIC, DYADS AND GROUPS 79
WHAT IS UNIVERSAL OR NATURAL? BREASTFEEDING AND EMOTIONS 82
CULTURAL VARIATIONS IN DEVELOPMENT 84
CULTURES FRAME OUR THOUGHTS, PHYSIOLOGY AND BRAINS 85
KEY POINTS 86
8 Biology and the brain 89

BRAIN BASICS: NEUROPLASTICITY AND NEURO- GLIA 90
BRAINS, NERVOUS SYSTEMS AND BODIES 92
EVOLUTION AND BRAIN AREAS 95
HORMONES AND OPIATES 98
EMAPTHY, CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES, ATTENTIONAL AND
CREATIVE NETWORKS 100
MALTREATMENT 102
HOPE OR HOPELESS? 103
KEY POINTS 104
9 Epigenetics, evolution and how
nature meets nurture 107

EPIGENETICS AND EVOLUTION 108
NURTURING NATURE IN ACTION 109
ORCHIDS AND DANDELIONS 111
SINS OF THE FATHERS AND LAMARCK 112
GENES AFFECT BEHAVIOURS IN SELF AND OTHERS 113
GENE ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION AND CAUTION 114
KEY POINTS 115
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