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Personal reflections on attachment theory
Personal reflections on attachment theory
Personal reflections on attachment theory
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"Attachment is the process through which people develop specific positive emotional bonds with others" (Newman, Newman, 2015). When infants develop attachments, the infant also develops trust for the one taking care of he/she. Usually, the infant develops trust with the parents nd the caregiver first because they are the ones that provide the love, protection, stimulation and comfort first. Have you ever noticed an infant after it has become accustomed to the first caretakers? The infant would cry in distress or when it is hungry or wet, the infant usually alerts the one who provides that comfort. That is how trust is built between them. Infants also develop the sounds and visual trust of the ones caring for it. Therefore, the infant searches for the person when in distress. As the caregiver comes back and forth, patterns are formed. Once formed, the infant knows what will happen next every time. From there on, the infant goes through preferential attachments. The infant may smile more at the caregiver's presence. But the next phase, the infant may want to play with the caregiver's face or hair, anything that brings close proximity to the infant (2015,p. 161). …show more content…
These are all developing close attachments that will benefit the growth and development of the child's awareness and trust. This may not happen with someone the infant is not accustomed to seeing. Depending on the age of the infant, other things occur like separation anxiety. "Separation anxiety occurs with an infant's parents leaves the infant" (2015). Some babies do well with the change, another cry until it is fast to sleep. It is through these occurrences of anxiety that observations are assessed (2015, p.
...n infant will form attachments for more than purely the need for food and that they crave care, comfort and safety. These early attachment theories prove that an infant needs a loving and protective relationship with a parent or primary caregiver and this relationship will continue to develop into childhood and may possibly have an impact in later life.
From birth to about six months old, an infant doesnÂ’t seem to mind staying with an unfamiliar person (Brazelton, 1992), although the infant is able to distinguish his mother from other people (Slater, et al, 1998). As the infant gets a little older, at about eight to ten months, he/she begins to cry when his caregiver is not his mother or father; and again between eighteen and twenty-four months, when the infant finds out he/she has some control over what happens (Schuster, 1980). Separation anxiety could, and often does, make parents feel guilty for leaving their child and might make them wonder if they are causing their child undue stress.
The concept of infant-mother attachment is as important to the child as the birth itself. The effect this relationship has on a child shall affect that child for its entire life. A secure attachment to the mother or a primary caregiver is imperative for a child’s development. Ainsworth’s study shows that a mother is responsive to her infant’s behavioral cues which will develop into a strong infant-mother attachment. This will result in a child who can easily, without stress, be separated from his mother and without any anxiety. Of course the study shows a child with a weak infant-mother relationship will lead to mistrust, anxiety, and will never really be that close with the mother. Without the right help, this child may harbor these ill feelings for life.
An infant’s initial contact with the world and their exploration of life is directly through the parent/ primary caregiver. As the child grows, learns, and develops, a certain attachment relationship forms between them and the principle adult present in this process. Moreover, this attachment holds huge implications concerning the child’s future relationships and social successes. Children trust that their parental figure will be there; as a result, children whom form proper attachments internalize an image of their world as stable, safe, and secure. These children will grow independent while at the same time maintaining a connection with their caregivers. (Day, 2006). However, when a child f...
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
(Early infant attachment is an important phenomena to study as it is connected to later child development). Early infant attachment is linked to cognitive, social, and emotional development (Pallini, Baiocco, Schneider, Madigan, & Atkinson, 2014). These three developmental aspects are significant in one’s later mental process capabilities, the relationships formed later in life, as well as their psychological stability. The attachments formed with caregivers in infancy are vital. Bowlby stated, “It is our first relationship, usually with our mother, that much of our future well-being is determined” (O’Gorman, 2012). It’s crucial for a child’s development to look at parenting styles and early infant attachment classifications which are made to caregivers. Most research focuses around mother-infant attachment making little known about the relationships made with fathers.
While bonding is about trust, attachment is about affection. The quality of an infant's initial attachment is really important because it influences some of the important parts of development. Attachment and bonding play a vital role in all of the following: * Maintaining the bonds of trust. * Attaining full physical, intellectual, emotional and social potential. * Acquiring a conscience.
Let us take a look at the most important factor that determines the health of our adult relationships; that is infant attachment. From the time that an infant is born, those around him influence the way a child will act or react in any given relationship. It provides a firm foundation upon which all other relationships grow. The idea is that the success of all relationships is dependent upon the success of the first one, namely, of the bond between the infant and his mother or primary caregiver (Brodie, 2008).
The attachment style that a child endures with their mother initially begins before the child is even born. In the mother’s womb, the infant becomes aware of their mother and father’s voices, where they begin to develop a bond with them and feel nurtured and comforted by the things they hear their parents sing and speak to them. According to Bowlby, the development of attachment takes place in four different phases and are reinforced as they grow older from the Preattachment (birth to age 6 weeks), attachment-in-the-making (age 6 weeks to 8 months), clear cut attachment (between 8 months to 1 ½ years of age) and the reciprocal relationship (from 1 ½ or 2 and on). As the child grows older, then begin to understand their parent’s feelings and motives and are able to organize their efforts and reciprocate the same i...
Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)
The attachment process in infants is much different. Infants gain an attachment with their caregivers, not the person they first see. If humans were imprinting animals, they would assume that the doctor or nurse was their mother since they usually see a doctor or nurse first. Babies form strong attachments usually with one person but that...
The first thing that needs to be looked at to understand a child’s development is attachment. Attachment is a lasting emotional relationship that begins at birth and is a lifelong process. The first attachment a child has sets the tone for development as well as provides the basis of all future relationships (Gonzalez-Mena, 2009). Attachment gives infants a sense of well-being which happens when an adult responds sensitively and appropriately to a baby’s needs. Attachment happens in both children and adults. For adults this can happen almost right away from some. Signs that a parent/adult is attached are giving the child a name, buying items that are for the child, recognizing the child as an individual. Babies take longer than adults to show attachment. You can see when a child is attached when a child shows an emotional bond with someone. Not all cultural attachments happen the same ways.
With very young infants who are sensitive to many kinds of stimuli, both social and non-social, produce a favorable reaction, such as a smile to those that interact with them. Infants enjoy human company, and most babies respond equally to any caregiver. They get upset when the person that has captured their attention, ceases to interact with them. From 3 months infants will start to recognize a familiar face and smile more at familiar faces and can be easily comfortable by a regular caregiver. The baby will then start look for particular people for security, comfort, and protection, he or she shows fear of strangers and unhappiness when separated from a special person. Some babies show stranger fear and separation anxiety much more frequently and intensely than others, nevertheless, they are seen as evidence that the baby has formed an attachment and that this is very prominent by one year of age. By 18 months the majority of infants have formed multiple attachments, the baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments. The typical observation of babies and the attachments that they make, indicates that attachments were most likely to form with those who responded accurately to the baby's signals, and not always the person they spent
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...
Attachment is crucial to the survival and development of the infant. Kenneth and Klaus points out that the parents bond to their child may be the strongest of all human ties. This relationship has two unique characteristics. First, before birth one individual infant gestates within a part of the mothers body and second, after birth she ensures his survival while he is utterly dependent on her and until he becomes a separate individual. According to Mercer, the power of this attachment is so great that it enables the mother and father to make the unusual sacrifices necessary for the care of their infant. Day after day, night after night; changing diapers, attending to cries, protecting the child from danger, and giving feed in the middle of the night despite their desperate need to sleep (Mercer 22). It is important to note that this original parent-infant tie is the major source for all of the infant’s subsequent attachment and is the formative relationship in the course of which the child develops a sense of himself. Throughout his lifetime the strength and character of this attachment will influence the quality of all future ties to other individuals. The question is asked, "What is the normal process by which a father and mother become attached to a healthy infant?"...