Attachment And Attachment

1217 Words3 Pages

The ideas about and understanding of child and childhood vary greatly across theories and researchers. However, one thing is clear: the role of parents in the smooth and secure development of children can hardly be overstated. Since the first days of lives, children rely on their parents, as they are developing their unique beginning of the social reality. However, these social conceptions are subject to changes, depending on the quality of the child-parent relationships. Central to these relationships is the concept of attachment. It is the degree of physical and emotional proximity between the child and the caregiver. "While attachments develop throughout the lifespan, clinical and neurobiological evidence indicates the importance of early foundations, remaining, as in a wall, important whatever is added" (Rees, 2007, p. 920). The purpose of this work is to review the importance of attachment in early childhood development and the implications of excessive attachment (or over-attunement) for the trends that unfold later in life. The role of parents in a child's early life is crucial. This is the stage, when the most suitable balance of attachment and freedom should be found. Insufficient amount of attention to the child's achievements and problems is as detrimental to as parents' excessive desire to keep the child as close as possible. This is why attachment remains a popular topic of discussion in theoretical and empirical literature. The roots of the attachment concept can be traced back to 1969, when John Bowlby proposed a new theory to explain children's behaviors and emotional reactions (Breidenstine, Bailey, Zeanah & Larrieu, 2011). At present, the system of attachment is described as a combination of emotional and behavi... ... middle of paper ... ...attachment is too little or too much. To a large extent, this is the biggest weakness in the present-day knowledge of early child development. Consequently, even in the presence of relevant theoretical knowledge, parents are left alone in their choices. They assume complete responsibility for keeping their children attached to them, while providing them with enough independence and freedom of decision making. What parents should remember is that the decisions they make in relation to their newborn children will have far-reaching effects on their social functioning, when they become older. Parents must keep themselves at a distance, while ensuring a high degree of comfort, security, and responsiveness to their child's needs. This is the best way to develop trust and rapport in their relations, while teaching children how to make quick decisions and withstand stress.

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