The Role of Attachment in Infancy Is Vital in Subsequent Emotional Development

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Recommended: Harry Harlow's theory of attachment

“Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space” McLeod (2009), as a core component of social and emotional development, the necessity and role of caregivers is a heavily researched area. Theories differ on the impairment that a crippled or complete lack of attachment causes to an infant in terms of social, emotional or intellectual development. These theories range from Harlow’s unethical work with infant rhesus monkeys to Chisholm’s study of Romanian orphans, the work remains relevant however in order to be aware of how to support or setback the deleterious affects that studies appear to be congruent on occur in infants of abuse or that have been abandoned. The paper Total social isolation in monkeys by Dodsworth, Harlow, & Harlow (1965), likens rhesus monkeys to children as parallels exist between the social development of humans and monkeys. The study kept infant rhesus monkeys in total isolation therefore depriving them completely of any caregiver and possibility of attachment, mimicking children in orphanages, or children suffering from emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Though no monkeys died during isolation, a monkey that had been isolated for 3 months developed emotional anorexia and refused to eat subsequently dying. While the effects of total social isolation from birth was severely deleterious, rhesus monkeys that had been socially isolated from birth showed no social skills such as play, aggression or sexual behavior, though instead high levels of fear in social situations. Harlow however observed that though the social or emotional brain had been obliterated, the intellectual portion seemed to be intact. Suomi and Harlow (1972) also found th... ... middle of paper ... ...ared children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 47, 449-457. Hodges, J., & Tizard, B. (1989). IQ and behavioural adjustments of ex-institutional adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30(1), 53-75. Hodges, J., & Tizard, B. (1989). Social and family relationships of ex-institutional adolescents Kipp, K., & Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Developmental psychology: Childhood & adolescence. (pp. 449-453). Cengage Learning. McLeod, S. (2009). Attachment theory. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html Meins, A. (2011). Emotional development and attachment relationships. In G. Bremner & A. Slater (Eds.), An introduction to developmental psychology (2 ed., pp. 183-216). Sussex: British Psychology Society Salters-Pedneault, K. (2010, April 30). Suppressing emotions. Retrieved from http://bpd.about.com/od/livingwithbpd/a/suppress.html

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