The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment and the Developing Social Brain

Abstract

(From the jacket) As human beings, we cherish our individuality yet we know that we live in constant relationship to other people in the world and that these people play a part in regulating our emotional and social behavior. Although this interdependence is a constant reality of our existence, we are just beginning to understand that we have evolved as social creatures with interwoven brains and biologies. The human brain itself is a social organ and to truly understand human beings, we must understand not only how we as whole people exist with others, but how our brains themselves exist in relationship to other brains. In this exploration of the foundational theory of interpersonal neurobiology--that the brain is a social organ built through experience--Cozolino uses case examples from his years of clinical experience as well as numerous brain diagrams and illustrations to weave brain science, attachment, and emerging findings from social neuroscience into the story of our lives. In doing so, he provides a narrative of how our brains develop in the context of our relationships, how that development can become disordered, and how healing interactions can trigger changes in our brains, help them grow in positive ways, and, when the conditions are right, heal suffering. The Neuroscience of Human Relationships examines topics such as neural plasticity, mirror neurons, and the biology of attachment to address such important questions as: how do brains regulate one another during moment-to-moment interactions? How do parents, therapists, and educators activate and guide neuroplastic processes to foster learning and change? What are the effects of isolation, stress, and trauma on the social brain? What are the processes through which relationships both create and cure mental illness? Scientific literature and clinical case examples are interwoven to present a thorough discussion of disorders of the social brain including autism, social phobia, and borderline personality, as various breakdowns of social functioning are explored. The book concludes with a section focused on how relationships, both personal and professional, can heal the brain. We are just beginning to see the larger implications of these neurological processes--that is, how the architecture of the brain can help us to understand individuals and their relationships. After finishing this book, readers will have a deeper appreciation of how and why relationships have the power to reshape our brains throughout life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)