Does Altruism Exist? Attachment, Neurobiology & Optimal Wellbeing - Dr Graham Music
Dr Music will examine how early experiences, secure attachments, and safe environments can lead to more altruistic, prosocial, and empathic ways of acting while stress, trauma, and neglect can lead to more aggression, callousness, and antisocial behaviour. He will examine what current research and clinical understandings can teach us about living a Good Life. Why might we, and the children or adults, act selfishly and antisocially? Are we born selfish or cooperative and what might sway us in either direction? How do both stress-inducing family contexts and competitive social and economic environments undermine our capacity to feel safe, experience well-being, or care much for ourselves or others? How does a consumerist, materialist ethos, as well as the challenges posed by the cyber-age and increasingly speeded up lives have an impact? This talk will draw on lessons from developmental science, neurobiology, psychoanalysis, and mindfulness to examine the links between feeling good and being good, and generally ponder the Good Life.
Reading Recommendations:
- Gilbert, P. (2019) Explorations into the nature and function of compassion.Current Opinion in Psychology. 28108–114.
- Gilbert, P. (2009) The Compassionate Mind. London: Constable-Robinson.
- Halifax, J. (2018) Standing at the edge: Finding freedom where fear and courage meet. New York: Flatiron Books.
- Keltner, D. (2009) Born to be good: The science of a meaningful life. New York: WW Norton & Company.
- Mikulincer, M. et al. (2005) Attachment, caregiving, and altruism: Boosting attachment security increases compassion and helping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 89 (5), 817–839.
- Music, G. (2013) Innately prosocial: Altruism is inborn but can be sidelined. Counselling Children and Young People.
- Music, G. (2019) Nurturing Children: From Trauma to Growth Using Attachment Theory, Psychoanalysis and Neurobiology. Oxford: Routledge.
- Music, G. (2016) 00000. Nurturing Natures: Attachment and Children’s Emotional, Social and Brain Development. London: Psychology Press.
- Music, G. (2015) Psychoanalysis, Altruism, Neoliberalism and Emotional Poverty. New Associations. (18), 4–5.
- Music, G. (2012) Selfless genes, altruism and trauma: research and clinical implications. British Journal of Psychotherapy. 28 (2), 154–171.
- Music, G. (2014) The Good Life: Wellbeing and the new Science of Altruism, Selfishness and Immorality. London: Routledge.
About the Speaker:
Dr Graham Music, PhD
Dr Graham Music, PhD is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist at the Tavistock Centre and an adult Psychotherapist in private practice. Formerly Associate Clinical Director of the Tavistock Clinic’s Child and Family Department, he works at the Portman as a forensic psychotherapist, and his clinical experience has for decades been mainly with trauma. He has developed and managed a range of services working with the aftermath of child maltreatment and neglect. He supervises and teaches nationally and internationally, and has a particular interest in linking cutting-edge developmental findings with therapeutic practice. His publications include Nurturing Children: From Trauma to Hope (2019), Nurturing Natures: (2016, 2010), Affect and Emotion (2001), The Good Life: (2014) and his newly published book titled Respark: Igniting hope and joy after trauma and depression (2022), as well as co-editing From Trauma to Harming Others (2021).
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Next Event:
- University of Greenwich, London
- 18/12/2022
