Jack came to therapy at the request of his grandparents who were concerned that he is becoming more depressed and isolated. Jack is a 25-year old college graduate who functions well in his job as an architect, but he reported that, when he is not working, he feels anxious and depressed most of the time, and spends much of his time alone in his apartment drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. He reported that he has lost touch with most of his friends from college and has difficulty talking to new people. He stated that his romantic relationships usually end quickly and that his mother, who he refers to as “Ma,” is the only person who understands him.
Jack had unusual childhood: he spent the first five years of his life alone with his mother …show more content…
This model proposes that healthy early development depends on ever more complex interactions between the child and the environment on a regular basis over an extended period of time, within continuously widening systems (p. 38). However, in one study, Bronfenbrenner also found that mother-infant interaction across time, which he called a proximal process, was the most powerful predictor of developmental outcome, and reduced the negative effects of both low socioeconomic status (environment) and low birth weight (individual characteristic) (p. 38). In Jack’s case, Ma’s attentive caregiving might have helped to buffer the negative effects of their destitute living …show more content…
In Room, Jack’s mother was consistently depressed, and periodically took a “gone day,” remaining in bed all day, completely unresponsive to Jack, who had to fend for himself. This lack of response likely produced a deep fear-response in Jack—he wondered if this time she might not wake up—and an ambivalent attachment style, which developed into a preoccupied attachment style in Jack, the adult. The anxiety, uncertainty, and preoccupation Jack felt as a child in response to Ma’s depressive symptoms have continued and become problematic in his current relationships. His inability to create attunement and healthy connections in his life causes him to feel distress, and he avoids this distress by isolating
Jack had unusual childhood: he spent the first five years of his life alone with his mother …show more content…
This model proposes that healthy early development depends on ever more complex interactions between the child and the environment on a regular basis over an extended period of time, within continuously widening systems (p. 38). However, in one study, Bronfenbrenner also found that mother-infant interaction across time, which he called a proximal process, was the most powerful predictor of developmental outcome, and reduced the negative effects of both low socioeconomic status (environment) and low birth weight (individual characteristic) (p. 38). In Jack’s case, Ma’s attentive caregiving might have helped to buffer the negative effects of their destitute living …show more content…
In Room, Jack’s mother was consistently depressed, and periodically took a “gone day,” remaining in bed all day, completely unresponsive to Jack, who had to fend for himself. This lack of response likely produced a deep fear-response in Jack—he wondered if this time she might not wake up—and an ambivalent attachment style, which developed into a preoccupied attachment style in Jack, the adult. The anxiety, uncertainty, and preoccupation Jack felt as a child in response to Ma’s depressive symptoms have continued and become problematic in his current relationships. His inability to create attunement and healthy connections in his life causes him to feel distress, and he avoids this distress by isolating