Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Attachment Parenting

Recent studies have shown that the water in Flint, Michigan has been contaminated by a horrible health impact, lead. This has happened because nearly two years ago, the state of Michigan decided to save money by switching Flint’s water supply from Lake Huron, to the Flint River a notorious tributary that runs through town known to locals for its filth. This has led to many terrible effects shown in both children and adults. The many effects lead has on children and adults are very drastic if not taken care of properly they could have lifetime effects.

Although Bowen’s family systems theory, and Bowlby’s attachment theory are unique with their own thoughts and perceptions, both of the theories can also be taken as different viewpoints of the same human experience, specifically the development of relationship patterns and human attachment. Both theories touch upon the influence that unsolved problems in the parents may have on their children. Attachment theory focuses more on the infant’s first attachment, or primary attachment. This is usually between the mother and the infant. If the attachment is interrupted and the infant’s needs are not being met by the primary attachment, mother, this could adversely affect the infant’s cognitive and mental development as well as future attachments.

Studying psychology has been for me an awakening due to the acquirement of much knowledge. Gaining this knowledge has helped me to refrain from making judgments lightly, but mostly to see human behavior from other perspective including criminal behavior. Instead of examining my life, I have decided to take a more challenging task by reflecting and examining the life of one of US history most notorious criminals: Theodore John Kaczynski (Ted Kaczynski) aka “The Unabomber”. From 1978 to 1996, Kaczynski spread terror throughout the country. As part of his anti-technological campaign, Kaczynski sent homemade explosive devices to many college campuses, airlines facilities, and people related to those. His attacks left three people dead and other twenty-three victims seriously injured (Winton & Scott, 2007). By any means I condone his behaviors; nevertheless, events occurred during his childhood could be the reasons of his actions.

Attachment is organised into four different styles, secure attachment, insecure avoidant attachment, insecure resistant attachment and insecure disorganised attachment, all which are identified by Ainsworth (1970). In secure attachment situations the infants feel confident that their care-giver will be able to meet their needs. The infants use their caregivers for times of distress and as a safe base to explore the environment around them. (Main, & Cassidy, 1988). In times of separation the infants will want to be reunited with their care-givers usually by physical contact or interaction. After the physical contact or interaction, the infants feel soothed and are ready to return to their play. (Ainsworth et al., 1978). Mothers are generally

The first concept i chose to review was child attachment, the emotional bond between a child and the parent. There is many different type of attachment such as insecure or secure attachment. The thing with attachment is that it may seem like a bad thing for a child to be attached to the parent but a lot of parents over look it. It is normal for children to build that strong with the parent and feel safe and secure around them. Sometimes attachment can go over board and that is when the child cannot be anywhere without its parent present. For example, lets say the kid is in the room with the parent and then all of the sudden the parent leaves, the child starts to cry and be disruptive. The parent then returns to the room and the child feels safe and stops crying. This is what attachment is.

In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein's scientific mind helped him to create a living creature by sewing together and reanimating parts of previously dead human, But because of how the creature looked he rejected it when he succeeded at bringing it to life. The creature grew up without any parental affection or guidance. Growing up like this can cause major emotional complications later in life. Through the actions of murdering Victor’s family and loved ones the creature shows his desire for revenge against Victor for abandoning him. At the end of the book the creature has come face to face the death of his creator, instead of feeling rejoice for the death of the man he tortured and hunted down, he feels sorrow and

John Bowlby 's attachment theory established that an infant 's earliest relationship with their caregivers decides the development of the child, this bond between the infant and his caregiver has a big influence that remains throughout the child 's life. Poor attachment develops negative growth in which the infants have not maintained trust with their caregivers and that will lead to mistrust later in life. The classic gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley describes the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his creature as a critical relationship which is full of darkness, obscurity and climacteric. In my paper I will argue, that the monster 's crimes are implemented as a reaction to the lack of relationship with a caregiver when he was created. This will be supported with a reference to attachment theory.

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.

When children are not allowed to do things on their own, they can not fully grow, which can cause problems for their futures. When children with overprotective parents are finally given some freedom that “freedom can lead to greater risk-taking behavior for children of overprotective parents… Teens often test the boundaries of their overprotective parents because these children have likely not developed a sense of responsibility for their actions.” (Hewitt). When children feel like they have been caged all their lives they tend to go crazy when they finally have freedom. This is because they do not have the experience and can not handle themselves responsibly. By giving children a small amount of freedom at a young age, and slowly adding more you are allowing them to interact in “Skill-building activities, such as many physical, learning, and creative endeavors, not only provide stimulating challenges, but can simultaneously build strong brain pathways.” ("Teens and Decision Making: What Brain Science Reveals"). Because children are able to stimulate their brain, they can learn some new things that can help them along in the future. A child should be able to have an amount of freedom, no matter how big or small it is it allows them to feel independent and helps them to grow up into great people. When a child grows up without that feeling of independence, that can cause them to be dependent on their parents for everything. In a worst case scenario, they could be so

Attachment is a strong enduring reciprocal bond an infant shares with a significant individual, usually the mother, who knows and responds well to the needs of the infant. (Gillibrand et al. 2011 p. 242) The evolutionary theory of attachment according to Bowlby is based on the idea that children have an innate programming to form attachments but they must be made during a critical period or it would not be possible after this period. The continuity hypothesis of the evolutionary theory suggests that relationships with the primary care giver (monotropy) provides an internal working model, which the child will acquire and base future relationships on similarly to the one the monotropy displayed to the child. (Add citation) Despite the theory

Empty nest syndrome as defined “an important event in a family is the launching of a child into adult life” (Santrock,2013). Many of the children who leave for college they will come back after they finish college and live with their parent trying to save some money.

How infant and toddlers are given the time, space, engagement have huge impact in children later years. Experts too has agreed that all these factor are important to the development of children socio-emotional and cognitive (Scroufe, 1988; Howes, 1999). Secure attachments support and help children to be able to regulate emotions, reduce fear, building relationship with other adults, empathy for others and appropriate moral reasoning. Bowlby calls this as the internal working model. In the opposite direction, insecure attachments, has negative impact on child overall development for instance they are be able to manage their emotions or engage in reciprocal relationships. In a longitudinal study by Waters, Merrick, Treboux, & Albersheim (2000), they monitored 50 individuals over a period of 20 years found that there is a stable secured attachment over that period, with a greater percentile for individuals without any major negative life events, and less stable (less than 50%) for those who had experienced a major negative

The way a child is raised will have strong implications on how he will be during adulthood. Babies that have anxious ambivalent attachment cry when their moms left them in a strange situation. But when the mom returned they did not know whether to hug or avoid their mom when she returns (Ainsworth 1978 cited in Dixon,2003). Later in life this child will have trouble exploring the world because he doesn’t have a strong base with his mom. This is a certain example sensitive periods of time in a Childs life that is needed to happen to have him or her advance cognitive. Inclusion without developing a secure attachment with infants the infant will not be social or have good social skills. The infant will not be as independent compare to others. They will be more aggressive, less empathetic and less emotionally mature in early and middle childhood.

Infant Massage is a parenting practice that has been passed down from ancestors all over the world including places such as India, Africa, South America, and Asia. Infant massage came to be in the United States by Vimala Schneider McClure in the 1970’s. While in India, McClure observed mothers practicing massage on their infants and saw that it had a positive effect. McClure then went on to found the International Association of Infant Massage. She spread the word about infant massage and helped new mothers learn the importance of using these new techniques in caring for their children (McClure). Infant massage provides many proven benefits through touch and the use of oils not only for the infants themselves but the parents as well.

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