Homework #3 Mary Ainsworth was a very influential figure in the field of psychology. Not only did she focus on the scientific study of love, but she also looked at how this theory developed. Mary’s lifelong process looked at the origins and nature of attachments between the interactions of infants and their primary caregivers. Going off of Harry Harlow’s research with Rhesus monkeys, it was discovered that attachments were formed with the primary caregiver because of the comfort that is provided, and not just nourishment as previously thought.
Mary traveled to Uganda in order to observe these developmental patterns, discovering that babies go through a number of phases in order to form attachments. She also explained that some babies have secure attachments while others have insecure attachments. Mary published this information in her first book. She then traveled to Baltimore and studied 26 middle class families. She observed episodes of close bodily contact, face to face encounters, separation and reunion behaviors, infant cooperation, and disobedience. Mary realized that she was seeing patterns that were similar to Bowlby’s work. She established the premise of the attachment theory, indicating that the baby treated the
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The secure babies used their mothers as a base to explore and as a protective safe haven. They were upset when the caregivers left but when they returned, they brought safety to the baby. Babies who had an avoidant attachment, didn’t want their caregiver upon return to the room. The caregivers for these babies may have been unresponsive to their signals of distress. Some babies were also classified as having resistant attachments, and tried kicking or arching their backs when comforted by the caregiver. The last insecure attachment is known as disorganized which usually results in relationship and behavioral patterns for the children later in
With research, it has become apparent that there is a correspondence between mothers and children on the basis that attachment. Attachment depends on the reaction from mothers to her child’s emotional cues. (Feldman, 2012, Chapter
Attachment is a crucial part of a babies first year of life, Mary Ainsworth investigated weather the quality of attachment matters to a child's well being and also if some attachments are better than others. Ainsworth carried out her experiment which is known as "strange situation" The aim of this was to test how strong attachments were. During the experiment Ainsworth focused on the babies reactions during each part these included Parent and baby in a room, baby free to explore room whilst parent remains inactive, stranger joins parent and baby, Parent leaves room, Parent returns settles baby and stranger leaves, Baby is alone in the room, Stranger returns and interacts with the baby, Parent returns to the room and stranger leaves. During
Mary Ainsworth is best known for her elaboration on the work of John Bowlby and the Attachment Theory. Psychologist Mary Ainsworth created an assessment technique called the ‘Strange Situation Classification’ (SSC) to investigate how attachments might differ between children. The procedure ‘Strange Situation’ was conducted by observing the behaviour of a child in a series of eight episodes lasting approximately 3 minutes each. During the test, the child is brought into a room with their mother and the child is allowed to explore the room and play with the toys. Then a stranger enters the room and talks to the mother, Then the mother leaves the infant with the stranger for 3 minutes.
Attachment Theory versus Maslow’s Theory JaLesa Byes University of Alaska Anchorage This developmental theories and parenting paper, I will examine my ideas for parenting tips using attachment theory and Maslow’s hierarchy. I will use both attachment theory and Maslow’s hierarchy to better understand my four key parenting tips: No hitting
Secured attachment is extremely important in the developmental stages of an infant. Secure attachment is when an infant feels distressed when they are separated from their caregivers and feels happy when their caregiver returns. Research from this article suggests that, when an infant does not receive the comfort they need from their caregiver for secure attachments, it can have a negative impact on their behaviour later on in their childhood and throughout life. Infants who have secured attachments tend to develop stronger self-esteem as they grow older, they also tend to be more independent and successful in socialising. Those children are also less likely to experience less depression and anxiety.
In Psychology, attachment can be defined as an extraordinary emotional bond between an infant and the primary care giver. This relationship is vital for a child as it forms the basis for normal emotional, social and behavioural development. This phenomenon can be observed in many mammalian species suggesting that it may serve an important evolutionary function. The theory dates to 1958 and was first developed by the British psychoanalyst John Bowlby who worked with many emotionally disturbed children in a Child Guidance Clinic.
The term "attachment theory" refers to a psychological framework that describes the nature of interpersonal attachment in different attachment styles. It was created by British psychiatrist and psychologist John Bowlby and subsequently developed by developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth. According to the hypothesis, ties with parents and other significant caregivers throughout early childhood have a lasting impact on how people behave in future relationships throughout their lives. In the 1940s and 1950s, when Bowlby observed the adverse effects of maternal deprivation on infants and was influenced by Konrad Lorenz's ethological views, Bowlby first developed his thoughts regarding attachment. Bowlby felt that a child's survival depended
Although we are studying theories, some of them appear to explain human behavior and personality with certain accuracy. John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth theories of attachment can also explain what happens to people when attachment to their parents or caregivers is healthy or potential problems that could occur due to detachments. They suggest that individuals raised with secure attachments to their primary caregivers help them to feel secure; moreover, these children appear to be more socially skilled and less likely to experience major emotional disturbances. However, failure to form healthy attachments, especially mother-child, could serve as a descriptive mechanism for many negative psychological outcomes later in the life of an individual,
Louise Harms multi-dimensional approach is a vital framework that will be used while exploring the inner and outer worlds of both theories. The attachment theory was first and originally formed from the work of a psychologist named John Bowlby and explored by another source named Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist. According to John (2005, pg. 30) he explains that by understanding the inner world of a child’s needs which is based on their biological, psychological and spiritual aspect, the child will be able to maintain a stable and healthy
The experiment was done in a room with a one way glass to observe the infant. Different situations were given to the infant to determine the infant’s attachment style, the mother of the infant would leave the room and the infant would be left with the experimenter or the experimenter would leave the room and leave the mother and infant alone. How the infant reacts to the situation is used to determine the attachment style of the infant. Infants with secure attachment style would be distressed every time the mother would leave, the infant avoids the stranger when the mother leaves and when the mother returns the infant becomes happier. Infants with ambivalent attachment attachment style get distressed whenever the mother leaves, and avoids the stranger when left alone.
Both Robert Karen’s Becoming Attached and Robert LeVine and Karin Norman’s The Infant 's Acquisition of Culture: Early Attachment Re-Examined in Anthropological Perspective delve into the complicated relation between toddlers and their caregivers, and just how uncertain it is whether or not a certain form attachment is truly the best for children. Toddlerhood is centered on the sudden recognition of autonomy as well as exploring their world with the help of their caregiver. Thus this goes into the idea of attachment, and the various forms that come along with it. Robert Karen explores these attachment relationships using the results of experiments such as the Strange Situation done by Mary Ainsworth and Harry Harlow’s research with monkeys.
Overview of Attachment Theory Attachment theory tries to describe the evolution of personality and behaviour in relationships and it gives a reason for the difference in a person’s emotional and relationship attitudes. In the beginning, it looked at the mechanics of relationships between children and their parents but it has since been expanded to cover the entire life of the human being (Howe, 2000). Attachment theory includes insights learned from evolutionary theory, ethology, systems theory and developmental psychology (Howe, 2001).
Introduction – the central importance of early attachment relationships in development Development is shaped to a very significant degree by the relationships we have with our primary attachment figures. These earliest relationships are crucial as they represent our first emotional and social interactions, are the first means by which we learn about ourselves and the world, and lay the foundations for adjusted development, emotional wellbeing and later successful interpersonal relationships (ref). Bowlby, the founding father of attachment theory, describes how in ideal circumstances our attachment relationship with our primary caregiver– in the majority of cases our mother- is organized in such a way that we come to view our caregiver and later, other people, as reliable, loving and dependable; the world as a safe place to be explored with confidence, and ourselves as worthy and deserving of love (ref). We will return later to this theory and specifically to the development of internal working models which shape our perceptions of ourselves and others, but for now it is sufficient to acknowledge that the establishment of a secure attachment relationship with a primary caregiver sets up the developing child for optimal psychological wellbeing and adjustment (ref). Attachment style was later described in more detail by Ainsworth and colleagues (ref) and was experimentally operationalised as the Strange Situation Experiment (ref) which remains the gold standard for assessing attachment style to this day (ref).
In her 1970 's research, psychologist Mary Ainsworth expanded greatly upon Bowlby 's original work. Her groundbreaking "Strange Situation" study revealed the profound effects of attachment on behavior. In the study, researchers observed children between the ages of 12 and 18 months as they responded to a situation in which they were briefly left alone and then reunited with their mothers. Based upon the responses the researchers observed, Ainsworth described three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. Later, researchers Main and Solomon (1986) added a fourth attachment style called disorganized-insecure attachment based upon their own research.
Attachment in early life is a fundamental aspect of child development and the establishment of intimate and reciprocal relationships with caregivers. Shaffer & Kipp (2007) define attachment as ‘a close emotional relationship between two persons, characterized by mutual affection and a desire to maintain proximity’. Contrary to the original view of infant attachment as a ‘secondary drive’ of the dependency on caregivers for physiological needs, such as hunger; Bowlby (1969, 1973) proposed that all infants are born with an innate bias to form an attachment to a primary attachment figure to whom they can seek comfort, or a ‘secure base’ during stressful circumstances. It is proposed by Ainsworth (1967) that parental sensitivity is crucial to shaping the security and development of the initial infant-parent attachment relationship, however the phenomenon of attachment requires both infants and caregivers to contribute in the formation of the attachment bond. Ultimately, the quality of attachment in early life shapes both the social and emotional