Catastrophes in Interaction: A Note on Arousal-Dependent Discontinuities in Attachment Behavior

Recent neurobiological research shows that attachment behavior in toddlers is mediated in the brain by endogenous opioid activity, a relationship entailing reciprocal inhibition of the brain's noradrenergic system as well. Cycles of attachment & separation in the toddler's behavior point to a pattern of hysteresis associated with the lagged effects of these two brain systems, & highlight obvious behavioral discontinuities of the sort susceptible to conceptualization as catastrophes. Making explicit such discontinuities in attachment behavior, it is suggested, helps isolate widespread equivalent patterns of catastrophe in all social interaction. 4 Figures, 28 References. Adapted from the source document.