Abstract
The infant's ability to fonn attachments develops in the context of an interactive
relationship with the mother. Mothers (or caregivers) learn to read their infants'
affective displays (facial expressions, vocalizations, and gaze behavior) and
modulate their stimulation and arousal-modulation needs. When this occurs, the
infant's affect appears to be positive, the interaction harmonious (both behaviorally and physiologically), and a nonnal attachment or relationship seems to
develop, thereby fostering the infant's social/emotional development. If the
mother (caregiver) is affectively unavailable or unresponsive, as is the depressed
mother, behavioral and physiological disorganization will invariably ensue,
manifested by disturbances in the infant's affective and physiological functions.
These may contribute to later disturbances in attachment and ultimately to disturbed affective development.