The Relationship between the Ideas of Trust/Mistrust and Attachment Parenting

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Since the beginning of time parents have been trying to figure out the most efficient way to parent (Sears, 2003, p. 3). Just as parents have tried to figure out the best method, so have scientist (Santrock, 2011, p.20); scientist use theories to help guide their understanding of things such as how parenting and child development go hand in hand. Erik Erikson proposed the theory that children develop in psychosocial stages (Santrock, 2011, p.21). Erikson’s theory contained 8 stages in which he believed we are faced with a dilemma that must be dealt with. The focus of this paper is the very first psychosocial stage, which he proposed that we experience in the first year of life (Santrock, 2011, p.21). Erikson’s first psychosocial stage is the dilemma that we face between trust and mistrust (Santrock, 2011, p. 21). This stage is very important because it occurs in the infant’s first 12 months of life and plays a part in shaping the rest of their life (Santrock, 2011, p. 21). According to Santrock (2011), Erikson’s theory proposed that this stage is when the infant determines whether or not the world is a place in which they will enjoy residing (p.22). The infant determines whether or not the world is just based on the experiences it has during this first psychosocial stage (Santrock, 2011, p. 22). When an infant is born the first people it has contact with besides doctors are its parents; it is the job of the parents to figure out what steps to take to keep the baby feeling good (Sears, 2003, p. 4). According to Sears (2003), believe the most efficient way to create a happy and healthy relationship between the mother and infant is through the attachment parenting style (p. 3). The most important goals of the attachment parenting style are to help the parent gain a better understanding of the child, help the parent make the child feel loved and secure, and to make sure

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