Safety

Safety isn’t only about the absence of immediate physical danger, but also the psychological and neurobiological sense of security, predictability, and trust. We continuously evaluate safety using information from past experiences, emotions, bodily reactions, relationships, and current circumstances. We may be objectively safe yet continue to feel unsafe if earlier experiences created expectations of threat or harm. Likewise, emotional, relational, and social safety don’t always correspond with physical safety. Perceptions of safety influence emotional regulation, decision-making, attachment, trust, and responses to conflict or interpersonal injury. Also see Prediction, Forgiveness, Estrangement, Theory of Mind, and Mentalizing.