Infant Losses; Adult Searches
The popularity of the World Wide Web has led to the majority of homes in the UK having access to the Internet. Although the Internet can provide a vast array of information sharing, games, fun, shopping, and social networking, there is also a negative pervasive side of Internet use when it becomes compulsive. Internet addiction is a rising problem in contemporary society, with men sometimes becoming addicted to sex and pornography, and women more likely to become addicted to chat rooms, and sites like eBay and Facebook. Studies have shown that a quarter of internet users engage in some form of sexual activity on-line with a third of these showing signs of sexual compulsivity. Even more pervasive is the sudden increase in men being prosecuted for viewing child pornography on the Internet. Does this mean that the incidence of paedophiles has massively increased, or are other processes going on?
Infant Losses, Adult Searches offers a developmental perspective of the trajectory of how such addictive processes can come about. It explains that the Internet precipitates compulsive behaviour because it taps into the 'seeking circuit' of the brain. An infant is born with pre-programmed emotional circuits designed to precipitate specific behaviours to encourage survival of the child through his or her infancy. The seeking circuit is designed to encourage an infant to search his environment with curiosity, stimulation and heightened arousal, using the sensory and, in particular, the visual pathways of the brain. This seeking circuit bypasses the thinking circuits of the brain, as it was developed before the infant had cognitive abilities.
In a synthesis of developmental psychology looking at infant attachments, neuroscience in the developing child's brain, and forensic psychology in discussing psychopathological and forensic behaviours, Hudson Allez offers insights for the predisposing, precipitating and maintaining factors that can underpin relationship dysfunctions and sexual paraphilias. Commencing with the neuroscience that underpins the physical and psychological attachments of newly born infants, Infant Losses, Adult Searches outlines how the infant's brain is genetically pre-programmed to be developed and shaped by her environment. The consequences of early insecure environments can have physical repercussions to the experience of the child, precipitating specific insecure behavioural styles, which can lead to self-confirming behaviours. During various neural milestones of brain development, like puberty and adolescence, insecure children have predisposed vulnerabilities, particularly whilst the child is in a process of right brain maturation. Adverse environmental experiences during these critical times can vandalise and alter the structure of the developing child's brain, again leading to further insecurities and behavioural acting out. When this child becomes an adult, the infant loss of security becomes a permanent search for the feeling of safety, comfort and belonging. However, the behavioural coping strategies that the person adopts inevitably leads to the self-fulfilling fears of rejection and abandonment.
To illustrate the process, Hudson Allez offers a case-study of Gordon, who is introduced at the beginning and end of each chapter of the book. In the first chapter, Gordon is born to a mother who is already a victim of domestic violence. With a father who is abusive and violent, and a mother who is deeply depressed, Gordon develops an avoidant attachment style very early on to protect himself from his unpredictable parents. Gordon soon becomes a child of a single mother, struggling to cope with the demands of childcare and working. Whilst he is avoiding school during puberty, Gordon is picked up by a man in a park and sexually abused. Gordon soon learns to use sex as a means of getting what he needs out of life. He also has uncontrollable anger toward a mother who did not protect him when he felt he needed it, and becomes even angrier when she develops a relationship with a new man. Becoming increasingly narcissistic in his behaviour, Gordon feels unloved and becomes unlovable.
Then Gordon meets Rachel. Both now in their twenties and both insecure, Gordon and Rachel develop an intense codependent relationship, both searching in each other for the lost parts of themselves. Rapidly Gordon takes control of Rachel's environment as a way of protecting himself from her leaving him. Gordon acts out his own family history by repeating his father's addictions to drink, tobacco and sex, manifesting in violence with Rachel. However, a facet of Rachel's history is that her mother had bipolar depression and had killed herself. Similarly, Rachel repeats her family history by developing mental health problems. By the time their child, Conner, is born, Gordon is so violent to Rachel that she is seriously hurt and she and her child are removed to a refuge by the Social Services; Conner is now experiencing a repetition of Gordon's history.
Gordon had behaved the way he had because of his pervasive underlying fear of rejection and abandonment, and he had successfully brought it about in his behaviour toward Rachel. Bereft, he found her refuge and stalked Rachel with narcissistic rage, but when she was moved again he fell into a depressive state as his addictions engulfed him. In particular he indulged his addiction to sex through pornography on the Internet. As he escalated his viewing through bizarre adult pornography, he found himself viewing child pornography too. When the bailiffs eventually removed his electronic goods, including his computer, the illegal material was found on his hard drive, and he was arrested for paedophilia. The book leaves Gordon facing criminal proceedings, and facing a therapist at a crossroads in his life.
As Infant Losses; Adult Searches tells the story of Gordon's transition from childhood development through psychopathology to criminal and sexual offending, Hudson Allez elaborates on the psychological and neurological processes involved in this trajectory. The initial chapters cover the early development of the child's brain and the physiological and psychological process of secure and insecure attachments and what happens when children are abused or neglected. Further developmental milestones are discussed, including the development of the sexual template, puberty and adolescence, and how the early insecurities precipitate vulnerabilities, making aversive experiences more likely. It then moves on to the development of adult attachment styles, relationship dynamics and codependent relationships that may lead into domestic violence. It relates the correlation between insecure attachments and psychopathology, discussing narcissism, personality disorders, bipolar spectrum and schizophrenia. As Gordon's addictive processes take over his life, the book elaborates on the elements of stalking and violence, sexual addiction and paraphilias, Internet addiction and paedophilia, ending with sex offender treatment programmes and risk assessment for Internet offenders. The book does not tell you whether Gordon finds what he is searching for. The reader is simply left with space to analyse his or her own losses.
Infant Losses, Adult Searches offers a developmental perspective of the trajectory of how such addictive processes can come about. It explains that the Internet precipitates compulsive behaviour because it taps into the 'seeking circuit' of the brain. An infant is born with pre-programmed emotional circuits designed to precipitate specific behaviours to encourage survival of the child through his or her infancy. The seeking circuit is designed to encourage an infant to search his environment with curiosity, stimulation and heightened arousal, using the sensory and, in particular, the visual pathways of the brain. This seeking circuit bypasses the thinking circuits of the brain, as it was developed before the infant had cognitive abilities.
In a synthesis of developmental psychology looking at infant attachments, neuroscience in the developing child's brain, and forensic psychology in discussing psychopathological and forensic behaviours, Hudson Allez offers insights for the predisposing, precipitating and maintaining factors that can underpin relationship dysfunctions and sexual paraphilias. Commencing with the neuroscience that underpins the physical and psychological attachments of newly born infants, Infant Losses, Adult Searches outlines how the infant's brain is genetically pre-programmed to be developed and shaped by her environment. The consequences of early insecure environments can have physical repercussions to the experience of the child, precipitating specific insecure behavioural styles, which can lead to self-confirming behaviours. During various neural milestones of brain development, like puberty and adolescence, insecure children have predisposed vulnerabilities, particularly whilst the child is in a process of right brain maturation. Adverse environmental experiences during these critical times can vandalise and alter the structure of the developing child's brain, again leading to further insecurities and behavioural acting out. When this child becomes an adult, the infant loss of security becomes a permanent search for the feeling of safety, comfort and belonging. However, the behavioural coping strategies that the person adopts inevitably leads to the self-fulfilling fears of rejection and abandonment.
To illustrate the process, Hudson Allez offers a case-study of Gordon, who is introduced at the beginning and end of each chapter of the book. In the first chapter, Gordon is born to a mother who is already a victim of domestic violence. With a father who is abusive and violent, and a mother who is deeply depressed, Gordon develops an avoidant attachment style very early on to protect himself from his unpredictable parents. Gordon soon becomes a child of a single mother, struggling to cope with the demands of childcare and working. Whilst he is avoiding school during puberty, Gordon is picked up by a man in a park and sexually abused. Gordon soon learns to use sex as a means of getting what he needs out of life. He also has uncontrollable anger toward a mother who did not protect him when he felt he needed it, and becomes even angrier when she develops a relationship with a new man. Becoming increasingly narcissistic in his behaviour, Gordon feels unloved and becomes unlovable.
Then Gordon meets Rachel. Both now in their twenties and both insecure, Gordon and Rachel develop an intense codependent relationship, both searching in each other for the lost parts of themselves. Rapidly Gordon takes control of Rachel's environment as a way of protecting himself from her leaving him. Gordon acts out his own family history by repeating his father's addictions to drink, tobacco and sex, manifesting in violence with Rachel. However, a facet of Rachel's history is that her mother had bipolar depression and had killed herself. Similarly, Rachel repeats her family history by developing mental health problems. By the time their child, Conner, is born, Gordon is so violent to Rachel that she is seriously hurt and she and her child are removed to a refuge by the Social Services; Conner is now experiencing a repetition of Gordon's history.
Gordon had behaved the way he had because of his pervasive underlying fear of rejection and abandonment, and he had successfully brought it about in his behaviour toward Rachel. Bereft, he found her refuge and stalked Rachel with narcissistic rage, but when she was moved again he fell into a depressive state as his addictions engulfed him. In particular he indulged his addiction to sex through pornography on the Internet. As he escalated his viewing through bizarre adult pornography, he found himself viewing child pornography too. When the bailiffs eventually removed his electronic goods, including his computer, the illegal material was found on his hard drive, and he was arrested for paedophilia. The book leaves Gordon facing criminal proceedings, and facing a therapist at a crossroads in his life.
As Infant Losses; Adult Searches tells the story of Gordon's transition from childhood development through psychopathology to criminal and sexual offending, Hudson Allez elaborates on the psychological and neurological processes involved in this trajectory. The initial chapters cover the early development of the child's brain and the physiological and psychological process of secure and insecure attachments and what happens when children are abused or neglected. Further developmental milestones are discussed, including the development of the sexual template, puberty and adolescence, and how the early insecurities precipitate vulnerabilities, making aversive experiences more likely. It then moves on to the development of adult attachment styles, relationship dynamics and codependent relationships that may lead into domestic violence. It relates the correlation between insecure attachments and psychopathology, discussing narcissism, personality disorders, bipolar spectrum and schizophrenia. As Gordon's addictive processes take over his life, the book elaborates on the elements of stalking and violence, sexual addiction and paraphilias, Internet addiction and paedophilia, ending with sex offender treatment programmes and risk assessment for Internet offenders. The book does not tell you whether Gordon finds what he is searching for. The reader is simply left with space to analyse his or her own losses.
By Glyn Hudson Allez
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