Attachment Injuries Now that we have a rudimentary understanding of the necessity for, and basis of attachment behavior, we can begin to discuss attachment injuries and their effects. The term “attachment injury” refers to trauma that occurs within the context of a relationship. In order to understand the impact of relational trauma, consider an analogy from the field of physiology. Lessons From Physiology Proprioception is the body’s sense of where it is in space. It is the cumulative interpretation of the body’s various internal and external sensory systems that allow it to have an accurate assessment of the external enivronment. In layman’s terms, it is the body’s sense that allows a person to walk up the stairs or type at a keyboard without the necessity of visual information. When areas of the body are damaged or injured, this vital sensory ability is one of the first casualties. Musculoskeletal injuries result in impaired functioning of this vital sensory feedback system. This results in the increased likelihood of future injury, as the body has a reduced kinesthetic (body movement) awareness of the injured limb or joint. The parallels between this sensory system and the attachment system are easy to see. Attachment theorists […]
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Complex Trauma: When the Whole is More Painful than the Sum of its Parts (PART 2)
Complex Trauma: When the Whole is More Painful than the Sum of its Parts (PART 2)
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All Aggression is Defensive
All Aggression is Defensive
Making a Case for a Single Motivation of Aggressive Behavior Lots of research in recent years has distinguished between two types of aggressive behavior: reactive aggression and proactive (or instrumental). So what distinguishes one from the other? Simply stated, reactive aggression is a response to something, whereas proactive aggression is not. It is also referred to as instrumental aggression because it can be seen as a means to a particular end. This distinction seems to make intuitive sense and the research seems to reinforce intuition in this instance. However, despite the surface differences between these forms of aggression, is it possible that something is missing? Is it possible that all aggression is reactive, or defensive, in nature? Consider the neurobiological home of aggression, the fight-or-fight (FoF) response of the nervous system. Aggression does not exist without arousal of the FoF system. Therefore, it stands to reason that even proactive aggression is caused by the brain’s perception of a threat that may warrant activation of the FoF system. After all, it is the FoF response. In order for a response to be elicited, there must be a stimulus that is being responded to. It is by this logic that it may […]
On the Road to Assertiveness
Assertiveness efore addressing how to increase assertiveness, it is helpful to clarify what we are talking about. Assertiveness is the middle ground between aggressiveness (attempting to dominate others) and passiveness (allowing yourself to be dominated). There are three elements of assertiveness. Self-Worth Worth of Others Putting Behavior in Context The first element is to have a healthy sense of self-worth. The degree to which you believe you are worth something is the degree to which you will believe that what you need is important. The second element is recognition of the worth of all people. Not the relative worth, but the fact that each person is worth something, simply because they exist. Worth is not dependent on appearance, behavior, or achievement. It is based simply on one’s existence. I am, therefore, I have worth. The third element of assertiveness is the ability to see behavior in context. If we are able to look past the immediacy of behavior, both the behavior of others and ourselves, we will be able to see the true, intended message of that behavior. We will be able to avoid having messages filtered through the experiences of our lives and those of others. The first two […]
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