How Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Shape Our Psychology?

Written By:

Written By:

how do adverse childhood experiences 1

Adverse childhood experiences and insecure attachments negatively impact brain development and psychology. Read on to how early life stress shapes your life.




KEY POINTS

Insecure attachment imprints in the developing brain in ways that negatively shape psychological development and maintain dysregulated stress.
The negative imprints of insecure attachment typically play out in the background, beneath conscious awareness, causing much distress.
Negative imprints can be rewired by first managing dysregulated stress and then reworking right brain aspects of troubling memories.

Earlier Iโ€™ve discussed how overwhelming (toxic) stress in childhood changes the brain and body in harmful ways. As the illustration below shows, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) lead to dysregulated stress. Dysregulated stress, in turn, adversely affects all systems of the body.



For example, dysregulated stress alters brain development, such that the brain tends to remain on high alert throughout life if the hidden wounds from adverse childhood experiences are not addressed. Letโ€™s now take a look at how childhood attachment disruptions shape psychology in ways that maintain dysregulated stress.

adverse childhood experiences

Some children seem to radiate a secure sense of themselves and a quiet, inner gladness from a very young age. To be sure, some of this results from an innate, resilient temperament. However, childhood attachment experiences can play a significant role in shaping oneโ€™s psychological development, brain development and function, and stress levels in adulthood.

Related: The Unseen Scars of Parental Emotional Abuse




Secure Attachment

In the first weeks and months of life, the infant who feels loved, cared for, protected, and enjoyed by the primary caregiver(s) tends to develop secure attachment. The effective caregiver in many ways conveys that the child is safe and valued through caresses, embraces, kissing, cradling, loving gazes and facial expressions, safe, rhythmic gestures, soothing vocal sounds, attention to the infantโ€™s needs, and smiles, laughter, and having fun with the child. Such experiences, repeated over time, instill in the child a felt sense that he/she is valued.

This felt sense is imprinted without words and beneath conscious awareness in the non-verbal right brain (which develops before the verbal/thinking left brain), and this felt sense tends to persist throughout life (Schore 2009).

The child internalizes the caregiverโ€™s calmness, and oxytocin, secreted in response to loving connection, counters the harmful effects of the stress hormone cortisol. In adulthood, this imprinted felt sense plays out as wholesome self-esteem, better mental and physical health, a pleasant sense of connection to oneโ€™s body and emotions, a better ability to regulate stress, and a greater ability to trust people.

Related: How To Declaw Your Asian Tiger Parents: 10 Easy Steps To Keep Them At Bay

Insecure Attachment

Think now of a caregiver who for various reasons is unable to lovingly bond with the child. Perhaps the caregiver has been numbed by trauma, is preoccupied with a cheating or abusive spouse, is grief-stricken from the loss of another child, or is abusive. Perhaps caregiver and infant were separated by surgery for either one.

Insecure attachment

Such figurative or physical separation can be highly stressful and frightening to the child and can result in insecure attachment. The brain becomes wired to remain on high alert and oneโ€™s sense of self is damaged. This damaged sense of self can be imprinted implicitly in the right brain in the earliest months of life before the left brain is sufficiently developed. Thus, an adult might not consciously remember or describe in words the origin of this damaged sense of self.




For example, the child in the first 18 months of life will typically not yet understand words (a left-brain function) but can imprint a frightening, angry tone or a look of disgust by a caregiver who does not want the child. That imprinted felt sense of feeling unwanted, unloved, or fearful can persist throughout life without being cognizant of where or when those feelings came from. The adult might become unaccountably depressed, anxious, ashamed, or traumatized when imprints from childhood playing out in the background are triggered by distressing present events.

Insecurely attached adults might feel numb or dead inside, or that they are different and donโ€™t belong. They might feel driven to succeed in order to feel good enough. Because feelings of inadequacy, self-dislike, or shame (more about shame later) are imprinted in the right brain (even in the later years of childhood when extreme stress temporarily takes the left brain off-line), it can be very difficult to talk someone out of these feelings. Other strategies are called for.

The Power Of Healthy Caregiving

Research to date has indicated that children do best with two primary caregivers (Cassidy 2008). Most research has looked at the unique and complementary contributions of mothers and fathers (Schore 2012), although other caregivers can certainly positively impact the developing child.

Related: Why Itโ€™s Okay To Cut Toxic Family Members Out of Your Life

Cause For Hope

While secure attachment tends to persist throughout life, insecure attachment is malleableโ€”it can change through loving, bonding experiences, either real or rehearsed in imagery. It is critical to first learn ways to manage dysregulated stress, which is caused and maintained by attachment disruptions.

Once a state of relative calm is achieved, one can begin to rewire the circuitry of the brain with strategies that mimic the secure attachment experiences that are needed by each human being. Understanding the principles discussed above will help you see the rationale for the healing strategies that weโ€™ll discuss in future posts.


References
Cassidy, J. (2008). โ€œThe Nature of the Childโ€™s Ties.โ€ In Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Appliยญcations, 2nd ed., edited by J. Cassidy and P. R. Shaver. New York: Guilford.
Schiraldi, G. R. 2021). The Adverse Childhood Experiences Recovery Workbook. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Schore, A. N. (2009). โ€œRelational Trauma and the Developing Right Brain: An Interface of Psychoanalytical Self Psychology and Neuroscience.โ€ Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1159: 189-203.
Schore, A. N. (2012). The Science of the Art of Psychotherapy. New York: W. W. Norton.

Written by: Glenn R. Schiraldi
Originally appeared on: Psychology Today
Republished with permission
how do adverse childhood experiences pin


— Share —

Published On:

Last updated on:

,

— About the Author —

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

7 Secrets to Stop Taking Everything Personally

How to Stop Taking Everything Personally in Simple Ways

Ever had a friend leave your text on read but somehow find the time to post a selfie? Or maybe someone didnโ€™t laugh at your joke, and now youโ€™re questioning your entire personality? Yep, weโ€™ve all been there. Itโ€™s ridiculously easy to take things personally, even when deep down, we know the world doesnโ€™t revolve around us (unfortunately).

Figuring out how to stop taking everything personally can feel like an uphill battle, especially when someoneโ€™s actions or words leave you feeling hurt or confused. But hereโ€™s the thingโ€”most of the time, peopleโ€™s actions have nothing to do with you. Your friend might just be overwhelmed, that unread message isnโ€™t a personal attack, and maybeโ€”just maybeโ€”your joke wasnโ€™t that bad.

Learning to let go of these thoughts isnโ€™t just good for your mood; it protects your confi

Up Next

Brain Rot Alert! 5 Everyday Habits That Are Messing With Your Mind

Brain Rot Toxic Habits That Are Mess With Your Mind

You open your phone for a quick break, planning to watch just one or two reels. Next thing you know, an hour has passed. Sounds familiar? Letโ€™s explore โ€œbrain rotting,โ€ a term used to describe the mental numbness and decline in focus caused by endless scrolling through social media.

For Millennials and Gen Z, social media isnโ€™t just entertainment, itโ€™s a lifestyle. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and meme pages provide instant gratification, keeping us hooked with an endless supply of content. But whatโ€™s the cost? Our minds!

Read More Here: 7 Foods That Make You Happy And Chase Away The Blues

Up Next

Contagious Yawning and Empathy: A Fascinating Connection

Contagious Yawning and Empathy: A Fascinating Connection

Ever wondered why you canโ€™t help but yawn when someone else does? Contagious yawning isnโ€™t just about being tiredโ€”itโ€™s a phenomenon linked to empathy, revealing just how connected we are to those around us!

KEY POINTS

Contagious yawning may reflect empathy and nonconscious mimicry in social animals.

The mirror neuron system is linked to contagious yawning, empathy, and social behaviors.

Contagious yawning is more common in social species, such as dogs, chimpanzees, and birds.

Contagious yawning refers to the tendency of individuals to yawn

Up Next

Why ‘Lizard Brain’ Deepens Anxiety and Depression: Understanding Social Cognitive Network

Social Cognitive Network: Linking Anxiety to the 'Lizard Brain'

The social cognitive network is your brainโ€™s secret weapon for understanding people and emotions. But when it teams up with the amygdalaโ€”our ancient “fight-or-flight” alarmโ€”it can shape how we handle social cues, sometimes making things trickier.

KEY POINTS

The brain’s social cognitive network keeps constant communication with the amygdala, an ancient structure.

This shows that the amygdala influences the social cognitive network by providing emotional information.

This research has potential implications for treating psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Up Next

The Mindful Eating Revolution: How to Train Your Brain and Transform Your Diet

The Mindful Eating Miracle: Transform Your Diet and Mindset

Are you ready to ditch mindless munching and take control of your eating habits? Mindful eating is more than a trendโ€”itโ€™s a brain hack that can transform how you relate to food.

By tuning in, youโ€™ll not only savor every bite but also rewire your brain for lasting, healthy habits. Let’s explore what mindful eating is all about and the role neuroplasticity plays in this.

Related: How To Practice Mindful Eating Like A Pro: 10 Habits For Healthier Living

Are you t

Up Next

Is Your Depression Causing Anger? 4 Crucial Reasons to Address It

Is Your Depression Turning into Anger Crucial Reasons to Address It 1

Do you find yourself caught in an emotional tug-of-war? Is your depression causing anger? If every little frustration feels like it could explode into rage and snapping at loved ones for no reason has become a common habit, learn the ways to help yourself with depression and anger.

As an effect of depression, anger is quite common because we get tired of managing our depressed moods and get frustrated. Eventually, this affects our psyche and generates byproducts like irritability which negatively influence our daily lives. 

In this blog, I will help you understand when depression causes anger and how to manage it.

Scientific Connection Between Depression and Anger

Up Next

Maladaptive Daydreaming: 5 Warning Signs That Your Inner World Is Distracting You

Maladaptive Daydreaming Warning Signs That Your Inner World Is Distracting You 1

If you frequently find yourself lost in your thoughts, consider learning about maladaptive daydreaming disorder to help yourself from being trapped in your imagination!

Taking a few moments to daydream can help a person take a break from reality and think more creatively or even solve problems. But when it goes too far, it becomes maladaptive daydreaming โ€” an unhealthy preoccupation that can disrupt everyday life and damage relationships. Letโ€™s learn more about it!

Read more here: The Fantasy Addict: 3 Signs To Watch For and How To Recover