A failure to accurately perceive, understand, or respond appropriately to another person's emotional state or needs. It occurs when there's a mismatch between what someone is experiencing and how others respond to them.
Formed from 'mis-' (wrongly) and 'attunement,' which comes from musical terminology meaning 'in harmony.' The psychological concept emerged from attachment theory in the 1970s, emphasizing the importance of emotional synchrony between caregivers and children.
Misattunement is like emotional static - when a child is scared and the parent responds with irritation instead of comfort, or when someone shares excitement and gets a flat response. These moments, especially when chronic, can teach us that our emotions aren't valid or that we can't trust others to 'get' us.
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