Human Development – Book Review
Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby’s Brain, by Sue Gerhardt.
John Bowlby, a psychoanalyst like Gerhardt, believed that behavioural problems were the result of poorly formed relationships in early childhood. His attachment theory suggesting that babies are born already programmed to form bonds with others, because of their need to survive. Bowlby suggested that a baby and its mother have a biological need to stay connected. The baby initially only attaches to one person and this initial attachment provides the baby with a secure base to explore the world around them.
Whilst Bowlby’s work has been widely recognised within the fields of psychology and psychotherapy it has met with scepticism by a wider audience. Indeed, when Bowlby first introduced his theory many feminists rejected his ideas for suggesting that a mother should not work and should stay at home (Holmes, 1993). The author, Sue Gerhardt, was an active feminist at the University of Cambridge, successfully campaigning for women to attend previously male-only colleges. Gerhardt’s book, first published in 2004, builds on Bowlby’s theory, initially exploring neuroscience and its links to foetal development; the pregnant mother and her impact on her baby’s brain development and latterly attachment, both secure and insecure, and the impact of the primary caregiver. …show more content…
One chapter looks at the negative impact of ineffective parenting and details several mental health disorders basing their formation in early childhood.
There was significant interest for me in reading ‘Why Love Matters’. Could I relate aspects of who I am now to their possible formation as a baby? But what? Having been placed into foster care at twelve weeks old and then adopted aged six months, I was hoping to gain a deeper understanding of myself. And I did. This book goes into considerable depth. For anyone seeking to understand more about the theory and development of babies and children ‘Why Love Matters’ should provide a valuable insight. “The newborn cannot only see but arrives with reflexes that allow him to follow and fixate upon an object.” (Stern, 1977, p.50) The book does not look at the cognitive abilities of babies but focuses on their need for a relationship. Parents who respond quickly to their distressed baby help the baby to feel safe and content, developing the baby’s ability to self-regulate its response to stress. Where a parent does not tend to the baby’s needs, leaving it to cry or shouting at it to be quiet, it can lead to stress and the natural production of cortisol. Cortisol is …show more content…
Interspersed with references to naturally produced chemicals in the brain, the first few chapters can be hard to stay engaged with but the essence of the points being made can still be understood.
As the baby becomes a toddler the parents tell the child not to do something every nine minutes on average (Schore, 1994). This must be confusing for an infant having previously experienced mostly positive affirmations from their parents.
And if parents, or expectant parents, were not feeling bad enough the book highlights the long lasting, negative chemical effect of the baby not experiencing positive rewarding interactions with the mother (Feldman et al, 2013). Poor concentration and difficulty in sustaining effort are further impacted by less brain receptors inhibiting the capacity for pleasure and reward. This resonated very strongly with
Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby’s Brain, by Sue Gerhardt.
John Bowlby, a psychoanalyst like Gerhardt, believed that behavioural problems were the result of poorly formed relationships in early childhood. His attachment theory suggesting that babies are born already programmed to form bonds with others, because of their need to survive. Bowlby suggested that a baby and its mother have a biological need to stay connected. The baby initially only attaches to one person and this initial attachment provides the baby with a secure base to explore the world around them.
Whilst Bowlby’s work has been widely recognised within the fields of psychology and psychotherapy it has met with scepticism by a wider audience. Indeed, when Bowlby first introduced his theory many feminists rejected his ideas for suggesting that a mother should not work and should stay at home (Holmes, 1993). The author, Sue Gerhardt, was an active feminist at the University of Cambridge, successfully campaigning for women to attend previously male-only colleges. Gerhardt’s book, first published in 2004, builds on Bowlby’s theory, initially exploring neuroscience and its links to foetal development; the pregnant mother and her impact on her baby’s brain development and latterly attachment, both secure and insecure, and the impact of the primary caregiver. …show more content…
One chapter looks at the negative impact of ineffective parenting and details several mental health disorders basing their formation in early childhood.
There was significant interest for me in reading ‘Why Love Matters’. Could I relate aspects of who I am now to their possible formation as a baby? But what? Having been placed into foster care at twelve weeks old and then adopted aged six months, I was hoping to gain a deeper understanding of myself. And I did. This book goes into considerable depth. For anyone seeking to understand more about the theory and development of babies and children ‘Why Love Matters’ should provide a valuable insight. “The newborn cannot only see but arrives with reflexes that allow him to follow and fixate upon an object.” (Stern, 1977, p.50) The book does not look at the cognitive abilities of babies but focuses on their need for a relationship. Parents who respond quickly to their distressed baby help the baby to feel safe and content, developing the baby’s ability to self-regulate its response to stress. Where a parent does not tend to the baby’s needs, leaving it to cry or shouting at it to be quiet, it can lead to stress and the natural production of cortisol. Cortisol is …show more content…
Interspersed with references to naturally produced chemicals in the brain, the first few chapters can be hard to stay engaged with but the essence of the points being made can still be understood.
As the baby becomes a toddler the parents tell the child not to do something every nine minutes on average (Schore, 1994). This must be confusing for an infant having previously experienced mostly positive affirmations from their parents.
And if parents, or expectant parents, were not feeling bad enough the book highlights the long lasting, negative chemical effect of the baby not experiencing positive rewarding interactions with the mother (Feldman et al, 2013). Poor concentration and difficulty in sustaining effort are further impacted by less brain receptors inhibiting the capacity for pleasure and reward. This resonated very strongly with