Growing up in Foster Homes: Impact on Attachment Style

Talking points: childhood, trauma, foster care, relationships

We all know that poverty can have a massive impact on a child's future well-being, sense of self, attachment style, and more. Foster children face equally (if not more) significant challenges. Rob Henderson, author of the incredibly powerful book, "Troubled", explains some of what happens. Team, I strongly recommend this one if you're interested at all in childhood trauma, how attachment develops, the apparent demonization of young men, absent fathers, and of course, Rob's book. Seriously could NOT stop reading it.

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:06:54)- How Rob approached writing such a profound book—and why

(00:14:27) - What’s the foster-care system like in America?

(00:23:01) - How does the foster-care system shape a child’s perspective on relationships?

(00:36:01) - How Rob found a sense of belonging

(00:39:23) - How did Rob repair or build relationships with men?

(00:46:06) - Rob’s take on how absent fathers impact children

(00:51:33) - On “Young Male Syndrome” and the limits of attachment

(01:03:40) - How do dating apps impact attachment, and how Rob worked on healing his own attachment style

Rob Henderson grew up in foster homes across California, and is a writer on human nature, psychology, social class, TV shows, movies, political and social divisions, and more. He's perhaps most known for pioneering the concept of "luxury beliefs," a term he coined to describe a new way of understanding the American status system. After working as a busboy, a dishwasher, and supermarket bagger, he joined the Air Force at the age of 17, stationed mostly in Europe and deployed in the Middle East.

Once described as “self-made” by the New York Times, Henderson obtained a B.S. in Psychology from Yale (thanks to the G.I. Bill) and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Cambridge (St. Catharine’s College), where I studied as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. He is a founding faculty fellow at UATX and a columnist at The Free Press, and have written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Boston Globe, among other outlets.

Connect with Rob

-Substack: https://www.robkhenderson.com/

-Twitter: https://twitter.com/robkhenderson

-Book: Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Troubled/Rob-Henderson/9781982168537

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