Self-organization can be approached in terms of developmental processes occurring withinand between component systems of temperament. Within-system organization involvesprogressive shaping of cortical representations by subcortical motivational systems. As corticalrepresentations develop, they feed back to provide motivational systems with enhanced detectionand guidance capabilities. These reciprocal influences may amplify the underlying motivationalfunctions and promote excessive impulsivity or anxiety. However, these processes also dependupon interactions arising between motivational and attentional systems. We discuss thesebetween-system effects by considering the regulation of approach motivation by reactiveattentional processes related to fear and by more voluntary processes related to effortful control.It is suggested that anxious and impulsive psychopathology may reflect limitations in these dualmeans of control, which can take the form of overregulation as well as underregulation.