Importance of Affect Regulation

Importance of Affect Regulation

A mother/caregiver has thousands of opportunities for interactive sequences with a baby. When the baby experiences sensation it registers in the thalamus of the brain, which goes to the limbic system. This creates an affective component and a reflexive response. For example, when a baby cries, it does not yet know what can be done about its distress and waits for a response. When the mommy/caregiver hears and feels the baby’s distress her limbic system is now activated. Once activated she adds meaning to the feeling (her baby is in distress) and she makes the decision to act and attend to her baby. In this example, the mother/caregiver is using her already developed prefrontal cortex to make a decision to act. If the baby continues to cry, she must reevaluate and try again. Throughout this process the mother is learning how to regulate the affect of her baby and her baby is also learning how to calm and manage emotions.

In order for the mother/caregiver to access her executive function, her limbic system must not become overwhelmed by her baby being in distress. Being able to manage her emotions is called self-regulation. In order to calm a distressed baby, it is vital that the mommy/caregiver try and stay regulated. If she is not able to do it on her own she can seek help from another adult who can remain calm and access their executive function.

The following video from The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University helps us to further understand how a mother’s attunement in her back and forth interactions with her baby help create the emotional experiences needed to learn how to manage emotions.

Video 2: “Serve & Return”

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