Behavioral inhibition

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Behavioral inhibition or Behavioral inhibition (engl. Behavioral inhibition) is the designation for a temper construct which on a slight irritability (crying, screaming) builds up in infancy. The construct goes back to a study by the US developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan and his colleagues at ( Harvard University ) in 1984, who evaluated video recordings of the behavior of 117 children at the age of 21 months when they encountered strangers. This was followed by a longitudinal study with some of these children up to the age of six , with which the authors attempt to prove that this temperament characteristic later manifests itself in shyness , emotional restraint and avoidance behavior towards unknown people or in unfamiliar situations. Jeffrey Alan Gray (1982, 1987, 1990) distinguishes three biological systems according to the reinforcement sensitivity theory that are supposed to control behavior:

  • the approach system, English Behavioral Approach System (BAS),
  • the behavioral inhibition system (BIS),
  • and the fight / flight system.

There is the hypothesis that it is a matter of an innate temperament expression with a basic attitude of fearfulness , which favors the development of phobias and anxiety disorders in further development . However, it is not yet possible to conclusively assess whether this assumption is correct.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ J. Kagan, JS Reznick, C. Clarke, N. Snidman, C. Garcia-Coll: Behavioral inhibition to the unfamiliar. In: Child Dev. 55, 1984, pp. 2212-2225.
  2. ↑ J. Kagan, JS Reznick, Snidman N: The physiology and psychology of behavioral inhibition in children. In: Child Dev. 58, 1987, pp. 1459-1473.
  3. ↑ For further follow-up studies see: M. Svihra, MA Katzman: Behavioral inhibition: A predictor of anxiety. In: Pediatrics & Child Health. 9 (8), 2004, pp. 547-550.
  4. ↑ Textbook of behavior therapy: Volume 3: Disorders in childhood and adolescence . Springer Science & Business Media, 2009, ISBN 978-3-540-79544-5 , pp. 597 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  5. ↑ Diagnosis of anxiety disorders . Hogrefe Verlag, 2005, ISBN 978-3-8409-1960-2 , pp. 15 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  6. ↑ Be brave with Til Tiger: A training program for socially insecure children . Hogrefe Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-8409-2247-3 , pp. 30 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  7. ^ Textbook of clinical child psychology . Hogrefe Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-8409-2447-7 , pp. 343 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  8. ↑ Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Basics and Treatment . Springer-Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-642-18499-4 , pp. 64 ( limited preview in Google Book search).