In this session we will explore attachment in more detail. The way parents respond to children determines whether children develop secure or insecure attachments. This session focuses on how children with insecure attachments express or hide needs depending on how they expect their caregivers to respond.
Children with disorganised, controlling patterns of relating are complex. They express "I will not rely on you. Relying on you is dangerous. I must be in control." They control through highly self-reliant, rejecting behaviours that keep caregivers at a distance and/or through highly coercive behaviours that keep caregivers attending to them. They hide away their need to explore the world and their need for comfort and nurture, except on their terms. It is a challenge for the caregivers to meet the hidden needs whilst trying to deal with the impact of the expressed needs.