Theories of Environmental Sensitivity

This paper provides a detailed and extensive review of research on sensitivity. The review covers information on the various sensitivity theories, how sensitivity is measured, and whether it is a continuous or categorical trait. It also discusses the underlying mechanisms of sensitivity, its relation with personality and temperament, as well as its development over time….

This theoretical paper describes the integration of all leading sensitivity theories into a single framework. The resulting concept of Environmental Sensitivity represents an overarching meta-framework for individual differences in sensitivity to environmental influences that integrates the three leading theories on sensitivity (i.e., Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Differential Susceptibility, and Biological Sensitivity to Context) as well as…

This paper introduces the concept of Vantage Sensitivity which is related to but different from Differential Susceptibility. According to Vantage Sensitivity people differ significantly in their response to positive experiences: whereas some appear to benefit particularly strongly from positive experiences, others fail to do so. Vantage Sensitivity differs from the related concept of Differential Susceptibility…

This review paper covers the concept of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) and its four proposed components drawing on the scientific literature from various fields of research. The paper reviews research on animal personality and suggests that sensitivity should be considered an evolutionary trait based on the observation that the trait has been found in many…

In this conceptual paper Environmental Sensitivity is discussed from an evolutionary-developmental perspective and in relation to the frameworks of Differential Susceptibility and Biological Sensitivity to Context. Authors discuss similarities and differences between the two sensitivity theories and outline the neurobiological and physiological mechanisms of sensitivity in an attempt to integrate the two frameworks. After summarising…

This paper introduces the concept of Differential Susceptibility. It lays out the theoretical foundations and then reviews a large number of studies that provide empirical evidence for the concept. According to Differential Susceptibility Theory, children differ fundamentally in their developmental response to environmental influences with some being more and some less sensitive. Importantly, more susceptible…

In this conceptual paper on gene-environment interaction, the authors propose that some genetic variants may reflect broad sensitivity to the environment rather than an inherent vulnerability for the development of psychological problems when exposed to adverse influences. The authors refer to three well-known examples of vulnerability genes that have been associated with heightened risk for…

This theoretical paper introduces the concept of Biological Sensitivity to Context, an evolutionary-developmental theory that describes how the quality of early life experiences shapes an individual’s level of sensitivity through the programming of their physiological stress reactivity. According to this theory, particularly negative as well as especially positive childhood environments appear to be associated with…