Course Details

The article "The Adaptive Nature of Attachment Patterns and Mental Illness" by Haley Peckham explores how the brain adapts to its environment from early childhood through adulthood, emphasizing the role of attachment patterns in shaping mental health. It argues that the brain’s primary function is to adapt to its environment, a process influenced by both genetics and experiences. The article discusses how early attachment experiences with caregivers form lasting emotional and relational patterns that impact mental health. Secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized attachment styles are examined, showing how each is an adaptive response to the caregiver's behavior. The article also challenges the traditional view of mental illness as solely a dysfunction within the brain, suggesting that conditions like PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and depression can be seen as adaptive responses to adverse environments. This perspective promotes a more compassionate and holistic approach to understanding and treating mental illness.

  • Understand the primary adaptive function of the brain and how it responds to environmental stimuli.

  • Explain the role of epigenetics in mediating the relationship between genes and the environment.

  • Identify different attachment styles (secure, avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized) and their developmental origins.

  • Recognize how early attachment experiences shape lifelong emotional and relational patterns.

  • Analyze mental illnesses such as PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and depression as adaptive responses to environmental stressors.

  • Explore the implications of viewing mental illness from an environmental perspective for treatment and stigma reduction.

Course curriculum

    1. The Adaptive Nature of Attachment Patterns & Mental Illness by Haley Peckham

    2. Adaptive Nature Quiz

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