Understanding and Addressing Infant Crying: A Psychological Perspective

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Advice for a crying baby Introduction There will be days whereby an infant is extremely well behaved and there will be days whereby an infant is seen crying their lungs out. Crying is inevitable in the development of an infant. As an infant is only capable of communicating their distress through their cries, it can be seen as a signal or cue for several reasons such as signs of exhaustion, hunger or pain. Theories Attachment Theory. According to John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (cited in Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990), an infant is programmed to form attachment with their primary caregiver (Ainsworth, 1979) in order to strengthen their chances of survival. This form of attachment is forged when caregivers provide infants with a source of comfort and a sense of security. Attachment is also strongly interlinked with exploration systems. Bowlby and Ainsworth (cited in Rothbaum, Weiz, Pott, Miyake & Morelli, 2002) also state that infants are more inclined to examine their environment when they receive sufficient comfort and protection provided by their caregivers. Thus, when faced with …show more content…

When this happens, it will cause a strain in the relationship between the caregiver and infant. Based on Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development mentioned earlier, an infant undergoes the first stage known as trust versus mistrust. This stage is a period whereby an infant develops either trust or mistrust of the world around them and it can impact a person’s behaviour or interactions for the rest of their life. Thus, it is important that the caregiver responds promptly to the infant’s signals of distress in order for them to develop a sense of trust and understand that someone cares for them and will be responsive to their

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