Insecure Attachment and Empathy Deficits in Adults with Childhood Trauma
Insecure Attachment and Empathy Deficits in Adults with Childhood Trauma
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Issue Date
2025-12-06
Authors
Marchand, Jenna
Journal Title
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Volume Title
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Abstract
Childhood trauma, encompassing various adverse experiences such as abuse, neglect, and disrupted caregiving, has profound effects on emotion regulation, attachment security, and overall social functioning throughout life. This literature review aims to examine the relationships between childhood trauma and its impact on the development of empathy in adulthood. The findings indicate that individuals exposed to traumatic experiences during childhood often exhibit insecure attachment patterns, which hinder their ability to engage in empathic interactions. Specifically, insecure or disorganized attachment styles are shown to disrupt emotion regulation and perspective-taking abilities, which are critical components of empathy. The review describes effective interventions, including emotionally focused therapy (EFT) and attachment-based frameworks, which have demonstrated success in promoting emotional safety and repairing attachment disruptions.
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Keywords
childhood trauma , attachment , empathy , adulthood , emotion regulation , emotionally focused therapy
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess