The Impact Of Attachment In Infants, Childhood And Adulthood

941 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Attachment is known to contribute to the development of healthy social and emotional development (Sroufe, Egeland, Carlson, & Collins, 2005)

Introduction
Attachment is one of the most important aspects of the relationship between one person and another in ensuring secure and trusting bond. It is very important in all stages of life for it greatly impacts on relationship formation, self-identity and confidence. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to outline those impacts in infants, childhood and adulthood.
Infancy
First and foremost, attachments between an infant and the caregiver develop within the first nine months of the life due to consistent, sensitive love and care. This allows the baby to start healthy social, physical, emotional and cognitive developments (Brown, 2001). Quality caregiving is crucial for a healthy outcome during infancy. Infants need their discomfort …show more content…

Attachment gives children a secure base to necessarily explore, learn new things and take on opportunities (Rees, 2007). It is important for safety, stress regulation, adaptability, and resilience. If have children secure attachment, they develop a sense of purposefulness, they are eager to take on new tasks, join with peers in activities, discover what they can do with the help of adults, and engage in make-believe play in an attempt to try out new skills without the risk of criticism or failure. If children are excessively criticised, threatened, or punished for the initiative they take at this time, the outcome for childhood is negative. In this case, a child will feel too much guilt, and exuberant, spontaneous play and initiative will disappear. Conversely, if parents provide children with opportunities to act self-reliantly, while still giving them direction and guidance, and are generally warm, supportive, and encouraging, this conflict can be resolved positively. If it is, it paves the way for a confident self-image, independence, emotional self-regulation, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a defined sense of …show more content…

Secure attachment styles are seen as organized rules that gives individuals the ability to response in certain ways, when it comes to situations of distress. It has been observed that, adults with secure attachments tend to manage distress in a more effective way and also they tend not to be depressed, whilst persons reporting insecure attachment styles use less effective coping strategies, leading to distress and depression. Insecure patterns of attachment are associated in adult (Besser,

Show More
Related

  • Comparing John Erikson And Mary Ainsworth And John Bowlby

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Health and Social Care

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    Attachments are formed with parents; this contributes to give a sense of who we are and who we will become in later life. However where these attachments are broken the child needs to have a secure attachment established with an alternative adult care giver,...

    Read More

  • Evaluation of Research Into Factors that Influence the Development of Attachments in Humans During First Year of Life

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Evaluation of Research Into Factors that Influence the Development of Attachments in Humans During First Year of Life

    Read More

  • John Bowlby's Attachment Theory

    2162 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Infant Attachment

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • The Importance of Attachment for the Children's Development

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Psychologist, Mary Ainsworth expanded upon Bowlby's original work. She conducted a study labelled the ‘Strange Situation’. In the study, based upon the children’s reactions, Ainsworth described three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. Work by Stroufe and Waters in 1977, further supported Ainsworth's attachment styles and have indicated that attachment styles also have an impact on behaviours later in life (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Researchers have found strengths in attachment patterns established early in life can lead to a number of outcomes. For example, children who are securely attached as infants tend to develop stronger self-esteem and better self-reliance as they grow older. These children also tend to be more independent, perform better in school, have successful social relationships, and experience less depression and anxiety (Birns, 1999, p. 13).

    Read More

  • Four Attachment Styles: A, B, And D.

    320 Words  | 1 Pages

    Attachment is an enduring emotional tie between people that begins before birth and becomes strong by the age of one. Attachment types are important because they influence a person’s relationships throughout life. For example, an adults’ attachment to their parents that was formed in their infancy, will affect their behavior with their partner as well as their children. There are four attachment styles called A, B, C, and D. Type A is named insecure-avoidant attachment and in this attachment the child will avoid or ignore their caregiver and show very little emotion when the caregiver leaves or returns. Type B is named secure attachment and in this attachment the child feels comfortable and confident. The child in this category show some distress

    Read More

  • Secure Attachment

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attachment plays a vital role in social development. When one becomes comfortable with another person, they then sense a feeling of attachment. Therefore, attachment can best be described as, “the positive emotional bond that develops between a child and a particular, special individual” (Feldman, 2014). Social development occurs at an early age and has an impact on allowing individuals to develop social relationships. The four attachment styles secure attachment, avoidant attachment, ambivalent attachment, and disorganized-disoriented attachment are not always universal, nor “biologically determined; they are susceptive to strong cultural influences” (Feldman, 2014). The process of social development during infancy is very decisive to the child.

    Read More

  • Attachment And Attachment

    1217 Words  | 3 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.

    Read More

  • Caregiver Attachments In Children

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    The importance of caregiver attachments have many implications on how a child develops. Children are able to handle stress better. The children are more adept at making relationships and expressing themselves, language lines up with their emotions. They feel at ease with interacting with new and unfamiliar things. The attachment to the care giver helps to build a sense of self-worth and an inner stability. Positive attachment bonds are much more than just being nice to the child. Strong bonds are formed by not only reaffirming the child but also by take care of the child by feeding and sheltering the individual. There is a vast difference in bonding and secure attachment bonding. The caregiver is coming in line with the child’s pace

    Read More

  • Face To Face Attachment Analysis

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    In addition, they tend to enjoy sexuality in the context of a commixed relationship and are less likely to have one-night stands. While avoidant individuals are hesitant about getting involved in romantic relationships and once in a relationship to distance themselves from their partner. Contrary, individuals who have anxious attachment demand closeness, are less trusting and are more emotional, jealous and possessive. Based on this, each attachment is linked to how the individual’s relationship pattern is like since they develop different patterns depending on the attachment stile they have. However, attachment in older adults differ from attachment of young adults since older adults have fewer attachment relationships than younger adults. Also, the more increased the age is the lesser attachment anxiety as it decreases with increasing age. In addition, attachment security is associated with psychological and physical Well-being whereas in adulthood it is not. Similarly, insecure attachment is linked to more perceived negative caregiver. Older adults have attachments according life circumstances and evolve depending on their age, health and life

    Read More

  • Unhealthy Attachment Essay

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    For survival and growth it is essential that infants receive affection and regular interaction in order to ensure proper development and healthy attachment. Implications that impede healthy attachment are often the result lack of attention and stimulation from parent to child bonding. “This means that caressing a newborn, talking to a preverbal infant, and showing affection towards a toddler is essential for development” (Berger, 2011). To ensure that infants develop heathy attachments as oppose to unhealthy ones much lies with the care giver of the

    Read More

  • Primary Attachment In Childhood

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    This article was based on attachment and behavior. The article suggests that an infant’s relationship with their primary attachment figure can determine their behavior later on in life. Those who do not have a strong attachment with such a figure can have issues with behavior later on in life. These children may have various issues in school or might be considered the problem child. The researchers seem to believe a lack of attachment can result in behavioral issues in adulthood as well. Individuals were studied in many different environments such as their homes and in laboratory settings.

    Read More

  • Attachment Relationship In Children

    313 Words  | 1 Pages

    Researchers analyzed the number of attachment relationships a child can form in a longitudinal study with 60 children. These infants were studied every four weeks during their first year of life, and later once again when they reached 18 months of age. The results of their observations outlined four unique phases of attachment, those of which included the pre-attachment stage, indiscriminate attachment stage, discriminate attachment stage, and multiple attachments stage. They are described as followed:

    Read More

  • Attachment Theory: Impact on Human Emotional Development

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Attachment theory can be considered the most common and observational theories concerning to children and parenting. The purpose of this paper is to apply and review some related aspects and findings from attachment theories where the child uses the primary caregiver as a secure base from which to explore and, when necessary, as a haven of safety and a source of comfort. Attachment is one specific aspect of the relationship between a child and a parent with its purpose being to make a child safe, secure and protected. As teachers, caregivers, babysitters etc., there is recognized method to assess infant-parent attachment along with the four major types of infant-parent attachment, which are secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant and insecure-disorganized (Benoit,

    Read More

More about The Impact Of Attachment In Infants, Childhood And Adulthood

Open Document