A General Theory of Love: The Psychobiology of Mother Love
By Dale Boland
Berkley CA USA
Report from 2003 LLLI Conference
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 20 No. 5, September-October 2003, pp. 182
Newborn babies love to be
held and have their mothers close by all the time. Dr. Thomas Lewis
demonstrated why this is so, in a whirlwind tour through the evolution
of the human brain and current research on brain development and function.
Amazingly, we mammals are dependent on other mammals in order for our
brains and bodies to function normally. This is particularly true for
human infants.
The mother's presence regulates
many of the baby's bodily functions, including glucose levels and internal
temperature. In fact, good mothering actually produces better mothers,
while stress on mothers causes permanent brain alteration in infants,
resulting in individuals who chronically overreact to stress. The implications
of Dr. Thomas's presentation are both affirming and disturbing, pointing
to a need for pediatricians to focus on the quality of mothering, which
would have a profound effect on infant development. For individuals
who received less than optimal mothering, all is not lost. Dr. Lewis
suggested that resilience is possible, especially with later nurturance.
Last updated Tuesday, October 24, 2006 by njb.
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