Attachment according to John Bowlby, “is defined as the formation of a psychological and emotional relationship between an infant and its primary caregiver . Its also a pattern of relational style that the child learns from the adults and caregivers whom play the largest role in the child’s life.” A caregiver is a person who gives help and protection to an individual. For example, mother to child or father and child. “That pattern is learned in early childhood and thought to repeat itself throughout and individual’s life, in both their social and romantic relationships.” Attachment could be broken down into four attachment types. Type 1; secure attachment. Type 2; Avoidant attachment. Type 3; Resistant/Ambivalent/Anxious attachment. Type 4; Disorganized attachment. …show more content…
For example, a child dropped off at his or her daycare by primary care giver (PCG) in turn starts to cry. That caregiver quickly reassures the child he or she will return and hands over the child to another caregiver who engage the child in play.
Type #2 of the four different attachments is, avoidant attachment. Which on the other hand depict insecurity between child and their PCG’s. “Children whose primary caregivers are rejecting of their bid for reassurance tend to develop avoidant attachments.” These children yarn for attention from their PCG’s and is often given the cold shoulder. The child may lash out due to lack of emotion from their PCG’s. These children are emotionally affected and tend to develop avoidance from others subsequently from previous
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
His idea of the theory was that when infants became attached to adults whom are responsive and sensitive during the social interactions and form a maintained caregiving relationship during the 6 months to 3 years of life (McLeod). Without the development of attachment, children could suffer from serious impairments both psychological and social. This process establishes various forms of attachment, which in the future will guide the thoughts, feelings, and expectations in children as adults in their future relationships. In this paper, there will be explanations, examples, and other psychologist discussing their attachment theories. There are four different style of attachment in adults; Secure, Dismissive, Preoccupied, and Fearful-Avoidant.
When children are put into longer periods of daycare when they are younger and before they are ready it may result in the child becoming insecurely attached because as they may feel distressed these problems can arise in type A insecure avoidant and insecure-resistant type C. The theory by Ainsworth et al (1978) came up with the concept of the strange situation, and suggested that; “Some insecure infants are distressed by their parents’ absence, and behave ambivalently on reunion, seeking contact and interaction but angrily rejecting it when it is offered. ”This shows that having children that are away from their caregivers giving a negative reaction. The child may become particularly distressed and are often uneasy because of this children who are insecure can reject social interaction and intimacy with others and may interfere with any new relationships that they may make in the
Attachment theory states that either secure or insecure bonds may form between infant and mother in the first several months of the infant’s life for the purposes of safety and security. The bond formed between infant and mother influences the quality of the relationships a child has throughout his or her life. One major reasoning of the attachment theory is that the parents are a sanctuary of safety throughout all of early childhood. Insecure attachments promote feelings of threat, rejection, and personal unworthiness. This can also be the explanation for the dream children stashing food away because of the possible threat that there,” will come a time when they will not be fed” (Smith 99).Unhealthy attachments not only lead to poor caregiver-child relationships, but can also cause a dysfunctional self-development, defective relationships, substance abuse problems, and educational difficulties.
In 1969, John Bowlby made the connection that formed relationships and attachments to caregivers contributes to future development and growth. The attachment theory focuses on relationship association between caregivers and their children. Children who established a foundation with a caregiver despite their biological relation, gain much needed support. Establishing support, encourages a child’s development. The comfort of safety, allows children to feel secure in taking risks (Groman, 2012).
This test observed patterns in the infants’ experiences of separation and reunion with their mother, and their reaction to a stranger, in order to evaluate the type of attachment relationship the infant shared with their mother (Ainsworth, 1978). Ainsworth found a significant consistency between the mothers’ interactive styles and the reactions of the infants. The results of this test led Ainsworth to classify the behaviours into three main categories. She identified the infants to have secure attachment, or one of two forms of insecure attachment, avoidant or ambivalent (Music,
However Schaffer and Emmerson’s (1964) research dismissed this. They studied fifty-eight Scottish infants and found that by the time the infant turns eighteen months only thirteen percent had only one attachment figure. Bowlby took on board this research (Meins 1997), and came to believe that monotropy allows for other attachment relationships, but places the mother’s attachment relationship at the top, as it forms the basis for all future relationships (Bowlby 1988). Research by Mary Ainsworth and Schaffer and Emmerson, support Bowlby’s revised theory of monotropy. Ainsworth, in her study on infants in Ganda, found that by nine or ten months the majority of infants were showing attachment behaviours to multiple people but showed a preference for one attachment figure.
It is unknown, however, if this is only a protective factor if the secure attachment is with the primary caregiver or if it can be with an alternative caregiver as well. The study also did not clarify if the infants had secure attachments to more than one person or if it was only with one caregiver. This could be important if the insecure attachment is with the primary caregiver who they spend the most time
The babies were visited monthly and the carers were also observed and interviewed. A diary was also kept by the primary care giver (usually the mother) three measure were recorded. The first was stranger anxiety – the response to the arrival of a stranger, the second was separation anxiety – the distress levels when separated from the career and the degree of comfort upon their return and finally social referencing – the degree that the child looks at the carer to check how they should respond to something new (this is referred to as secure base). They discovered that a baby’s attachment follows in this sequence. • 0-6 weeks – Asocial –
Theories (Erikson & Attachment) According to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, trust vs. mistrust, occurs in the first year of life. Erikson believed that the caregiver’s response to the infant’s cries help them develop a sense of trust, when the caregiver responds right away to the infant’s distress of crying or fussing (Mooney, 2000). Erikson believed that in the earliest years of life, mainly during infancy, patterns of trust or mistrust are formed that control, or at least influence, a person’s actions or interactions for the rest of life (Erikson, 1950). Bowlby hypothesized that children are born with a predisposition to be attached to caregivers and that children will organize their behavior and thinking in order to maintain those relationships (Bettmann, 2006).
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.
A human baby is born with poorly developed sight and is unable to move. As a consequence to this he is vulnerable and is completely dependent on a carer for survival (Winston, 2003). To improve the chances of survival, the baby is born with pre-programmed and automatic behaviour which are prompted by environmental factors (Bergen, 2008). Bowlby theorised that when a young child feels distressed, frightened or confused, attachment behaviour is triggered and this serves to bring the child closer to their mother* who provides the desired comfort, care and protection (Bowlby,
In addition, some infants are classified as disorganized/disoriented with regard to attachment as they are not able to settle in to a single, organized attachment pattern when in distress. Instead, they become disoriented or resort to conflicting behavioral strategies. Attachments are not characteristic of either the caregivers or infants. It is the relationship bonds overtime between emotion and behaviors as infant and caregiver interact, particularly when infant needs for comfort are of concern. Sense of trust develops when a baby’s needs are responded to.
Through factors such as cognitive development of the infant, attentive care and intimate interactions with a primary caregiver, the attachment relationship is created – shaping the infants- caregiver bond. By examining the interactions between an infant and their primary caregiver, we can identify secure, insecure and disorganized attachment (Ainsworth, 1978; Cassidy 1994); which can reveal a great deal about the relationship between the infant and attachment figure. Overall, the quality of attachment bonds formed in the early years can have long lasting effects on an infant’s emotional security and social competence; not only shaping their ability to form relationships, but laying the foundations for the social, emotional and mental development of the
Introduction At the beginning of our lives we are born to create a relationship with our love ones, it depends on our parent to provide us with love and warmth to develop a positive bounding relationship. The purpose of the paper is to reflect which attachment style was utilized by my parents during my childhood and which type of attachment style I identify more during my adulthood. The four types of attachment styles that will be discussed are avoidant attachment, secure attachment, disorganized attachment, and ambivalent attachment. This reflection paper will help me as a social worker by applying my knowledge to identify the type of attachment each individual or family has and better understand how I can help them with their issues that