Toward an interpersonal neurobiology of the developing mind: Attachment relationships, "mindsight," and neural integration

This article reviews findings from a wide range of scientific disciplines i n exploring the idea that the mind develops at the interface between human relationships and the unfolding structure and function of the brain. Recent discoveries from a number of independent fields, including those of develo pmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, can be synthesized into an i ntegrated framework for understanding how the brain gives rise to mental pr ocesses and is directly shaped by interpersonal experiences. This "interper sonal neurobiology" (Siegel, 1999) presents an integrated view of how human development occurs within a social world in transaction with the functions of the brain that give rise to the mind. This framework suggests some basi c principles for conceptualizing the essential experiential ingredients tha t may facilitate the development of the mind, emotional well-being, and psy chological resilience during early childhood and perhaps throughout the lif espan. At the core of these processes is a fundamental mechanism of integra tion which can be seen at a variety of levels, from the interpersonal to th e neurological. Integration may be conceptualized as the basic process that secure attachments facilitate in promoting psychological well-being. This article will summarize these concepts and offer some ideas about their impl ications for practice and future investigations.