Emotional Availability and Types of UN-availability
The EA System evaluates both emotional availability as well as degrees of emotional UN-availability in an adult-child relationship (adult’s side or the child’s side), including Detached interactions, Complicated interactions, and Problematic/Disturbed/Traumatized interactions.
Relationships are not just about the high end of EA. There is a whole range, and the system is able to scientifically evaluate interactions that are aloof and distant (called Detached), or over-connected and dependent (called Complicated) as well as Problematic (Traumatized). Signs of trauma can be observable. Signs of over-connection/dependency can be discerned. Signs of detachment are important to detect. Yet, without training, most researchers and practitioners are able to rate accurately only the most extremely emotionally available and extremely emotionally unavailable, but often the emotionally unavailable are not detected and the emotionally available are underestimated because the relationship is not perfect, yet it’s healthy or good enough to create security for the child.