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Children and their attachment styles
Attachment theory infants and toddlers
Children and their attachment styles
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Introduction Attachment is a social and emotional bond between infant and carer that spans both time and space(Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2010). Attachment is crucial for any child in the early part of their life to help them to grow and to be able to socialise with other people. Main body Attachment begins once the baby is born as the mother is giving the child milk through her breasts. This is the first time that the mother and the infant both bond with each other. This is the parents first encounter with the child they learn to love the child no matter what happens. The infant begins to trust the carer because they know that nothing bad will happen when they are around them. This attachment is important for the bond between the mother and child also that the milk gives nutrients to the baby. An emotional bond is formed when a child doesn't want the mum to leave even though she has already read him/her loads of stories and the child won't let her leave.There is also an attachment when the child wants to sleep in their parents bed because …show more content…
This attachment shows that the child loves the parent/carer. This is important for the child to learn how to rely and trust in other people in his/her life. This shows how important attachment is to the child. Attachment is important because children imitate what there parents do and say. Attachment is also important because the child then learns to look up to their parents and aspire to be like them. “Mary Ainsworth studied infant attachment by using the stranger situation she reasoned that if attachment is strong between baby and mother then the baby should show feelings of security in the presence of the mother” ( Gill & MacMillan 1993). The stranger situation is made up of eight tests to figure out how attached the
The Strange Situation, in which infants are exposed to eight different episodes involving the mother and/or a stranger, is widely used to test attachments, although there are many different views regarding its validity and reliability. In order for the Strange Situation to be considered reliable, a child tested at different times should produce the same reaction every time; this was supported by Main, Kapland and Cassidy’s 1985 study which found that 100% of infants who had been securely attached before 18 months were still securely attached at 6 years, and 75% of those who had been anxious-avoidant remained so. One interpretation of attachment type (based on the Strange Situation) is that it is a fixed characteristic and therefore cannot be changed, but if there is a change in family circumstances this is often not the case. Attachments to mothers and fathers have been proven to be independent – Main and Weston (1981) found that children reacted differently depending on which parent they were with. This shows that the attachment types shown by the Strange Situation are based on qualities of distinct relationships as opposed to a child’s characteristics.
Mary Ainsworth was known as the mother of attachment research, she tested Bowlby’s theory of attachment. She conducted a stress test better known as The Strange Situation Procedure. This consists of a series of staged episodes that illustrate the strength of attachment between a child and usually his or her mother. “The “strange situation” follows an eight-step pattern: (1) The mother and the baby enter an unfamiliar room; (2) the mother sits down, leaving the baby free to explore; (3) an adult stranger enters the room and converses first with the mother and then with the baby; (4) the mother exits the room, leaving the baby alone with the stranger; (5) the mother returns, greeting and comforting the baby, and the stranger leaves; (6) the mother departs again, leaving the baby alone; (7) the stranger returns; and (8) the mother returns and the stranger leaves.” (Cite) There are four different attachment patterns: secure, avoidant, resistant/ambivalent, and disorganized. A secure attachment is defined when the child uses the mother as a home base and the mother is responsive to the child’s needs. They are comfortable in the Strange Situation as long as the mother is there. Exploring independently, checking in with
The attachment theory, presented by Mary Ainsworth in 1969 and emerged by John Bowlby suggests that the human infant has a need for a relationship with an adult caregiver, and without a subsequent, development can be negatively impacted (Hammonds 2012). Ainsworth proposes that the type of relationship and “attachment” an infant has with the caregiver, can impact the social development of the infant. As stated by Hammonds (2012), attachment between a mother and a child can have a great impact on the child 's future mental
The attachment process plays a crucial role in a child’s development and their future impact on society According to Dr Suzanne Zeedyk. Children can’t feel relaxed and safe with the adults & children in the nursery until they get to know them. If there’s a lack of affection towards a child they may be reluctant to take advantage of all the learning opportunities because of their anxiety. We now know that relationships literally shape the neural connections in young children’s brains. This means everything that happens or doesn’t happen for the child will leaves a physiological trace in their growing brain. According to Dr Suzanne
The “strange situation” is a laboratory assessment used to measure infants’ attachment to their mothers through observation, by providing a series’ of experiences of introductions to a stranger, separations from mother and then the reunion of the two. The “strange situation” measures the infants’ attachment in being securely to insecurely attached with the mother. The scene of the experiment is set up in a small room with mother, child and stranger, they will then follow a prescribed order of the series listed above. At first it’s only mother and child, and then the stranger joins the room. The mother tends to the child briefly and then leaves the room, leaving the child with the stranger. The child then expresses distress to a certain extent – depending on the degree of secure attachment to the mother – upon the mother’s departure and cries in calling the mother back. The mother returns and stranger leaves. The next step is then that the mother leaves the child completely alone, and when child then cries in a call for them to come back, the stranger will return instead of the mother, this is an important part of the experiment in order to determine the child’s attachment. It gets determined whether or not the child will return to a calm state of mind with the calming of the stranger. The mother will finally return to the child again and stranger will leave as the experiment and observation
For example, Magai & Passman (1997) discovered a strong relationship between secure attachments and emotional well-being of middle aged adults, which extends to individuals later in life. Understanding the role of attachment and its psychosocial impact during later life is an important area that needs further research. In regards to TMT, close relationships offer security, protection, and give meaning to life (Mikulincer, Florian, & Hirschberger, 2003).
It has been proposed that infant attachment styles do not change after the first year of life, the following essay will argue against this prompt in that ones attachment style will change continuously throughout life. Attachment theory is based on the joint work of Bowlby and Ainsworth (Bretherton, 1992). In recent years the idea of ‘attachment’ has become and increasingly popular debate within developmental psychology (Bretherton, 1992). Attachment theory provides an explanation on how parent and child relationships are formed and the important role they play in child development. However majority of the research into attachment has focused on identifying the stability of attachment rather then identifying the possible insatiability of
In conclusion, mother-infant attachment paves the way for adult social relationships as supported by Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment and its follow-up, Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study, and Henry Harlow’s classic experiment with the monkeys. Furthermore, strong secure attachments breed healthy social relationships, while insecure attachments lead to difficult social and emotional issues. The best way to prevent insecure attachments is by creating that strong mother-infant bond in the first year of life. It is crucial for potential parents to be prepared emotionally, economically, and socially for a new infant. As the acorn has the potential to become an oak with the right conditions and environment, an infant also has the potential to become a successful adult with a supportive, healthy, environment.
John Bowlby’s attachment theory established that an infant’s earliest relationship with their primary caregiver or mother shaped their later development and characterized their human life, “from the cradle to the grave” (Bowlby, 1979, p. 129). The attachment style that an infant develops with their parent later reflects on their self-esteem, well-being and the romantic relationships that they form. Bowlby’s attachment theory had extensive research done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the mother-infant interactions specifically regarding the theme of an infant’s exploration of their surrounding and the separation from their mother in an experiment called the strange situation. Ainsworth defined the four attachment styles: secure, insecure/resistant, insecure/avoidant and disorganized/disoriented, later leading to research studies done to observe this behavior and how it affects a child in their adolescence and adulthood.
...cal, emotional, and cognitive development for the child. The warmth and empathy shown to the child helps the child develop at a normative rate. While the attachment is important during infancy, it is also important to maintain the attachment throughout adolescence. Children who continue to share a secure attachment with the parent oftentimes have an easier time making friends and working through social issues (cite).
The child feels more desire to explore when the caregiver is around, and he or she is discontented when the caretaker goes away. This pattern of attachment is characterized by high discriminative aspects where the child highly sensitive to the presence of strangers (Newton, 2008). A child becomes happy where the caregiver is present and dull when the caregiver goes away. Secure attachment level and intensity is determined by the caregiver sensitivity to the needs of a child. Consistent response to a child needs by the caregiver or parents will create a relatively strong secure attachment pattern. Care and attention are the major determinants of secure attachment and a child who revives a lot of attention and care from his or her parent are much prone to develop secure attachment, and it is an indication that the parent is responsive to the child
Attachment is an emotional bond that is from one person to another. The attachment theory is a psychological, an evolutionary and an ethological theory that is concerned with relationships between humans, specifically between mother and infant. A young infant has to develop a relationship with at least one of their primary caregivers for them to develop socially and emotionally. Social competence is the condition that possesses the social, emotional and intellectual skills and behaviours, the infant needs these to success as a member of society. Many studies have been focused on the Western society, but there are many arguments to whether or not this can be applicable to other cultures, such as the poorer countries.
Attachment, which is made of values and norms, and receives the most attention rather than any other element. Attachment usually begins at birth with the mother. Bonds or attachments at an early age help to establish future attachments with other family members, peers, teachers, etc. Parental attachment plays a strong part in an individual’s life. When parental attachment is reduced then delinquency acts are increased. Individuals with strong attachments are more likely to be respectful and refrain from deviant behavior (Brown, Esbensen, and Geis,
Attachment is an important aspect through the developmental stages of a child. It is the process through which an individual develops specific bonds with others (). John Bowlby theorized Attachment Theory, which focuses on a behavioral system that demonstrates the response of an adult when a child signals which can lead to a strong trusting relationship (). Through attachment infants develop strong emotional bonds with others, which can result in a more positive outcome later in life.
Dr. Sigmund Freud thought the experiences in the first five years were the most critical for the development of personality. It is where it all begins. We all go through stresses in life but it is the well-developed adult that is able to handle stress and how they handle it. It all starts with attachment between the caregiver and the infant. The emotional bond that forms between an infant and a primary caregiver is called attachment. Bonding is a continuation of the relationship that began during pregnancy. The physical and chemical changes that were happening in the body of a mother remind her of the presence of that little person who was growing inside her. Birth reinforces that bond and gives it validity. Now she can see, feel, and talk to the little person that she knew only as a movement in her belly and the heartbeat she heard through the ultra sound. Bonding allows her to transfer her love for the infant inside to the outside. Inside, she gave her blood and outside, she gives her milk, her attention with her eyes, hands and voice. Bonding brings mothers and newborns back together. Attachment is a very important development in the social and emotional life of the infant, usually forming within the first six months of the infant’s life and showing up in a number of ways during the second six months, such as wariness of strangers and fear of being separated from the caregiver. According to psychologist Mary Ainsworth, attachment is a connection between two people that creates a bond. It is that bond that causes the desire for contact with that person and the feeling of distress when separation occurs from that person. This special tie between two human beings that bind them together is what attachment is. Attachment aids a n...