A Canadian study of 242 children compared two faces of “controlling attachment” — the demanding child and the caretaking child. Same root, different branches. The caretaking children had more internalizing problems and more loss in their family histories.
Ann Masten’s landmark review synthesizing 30 years of resilience research found that what protects children through adversity isn’t extraordinary will — it’s ordinary human systems: stable caregiving, basic cognitive and self-regulatory capacity, meaning, and community.
Securely attached children responded to others’ pain with empathic concern; insecurely attached children were overwhelmed by their own distress. A two-study experiment with 465 preschoolers shows that emotional safety is the foundation empathy grows from.