Importance Of Attachment

716 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of attachment at developmental stages

Attachment Attachment is one of the first coping systems a child learns, and it forms a mental representation of the child 's caregiver. This representation is of someone who can comfort the child in difficult moments. (Pillay, 2016) It is also know as when the child uses the primary caregiver as a secure foundation to explore and to have a safe haven, and a source of comfort. (Benoit, 2016) In 1969 Bowlby had a theory of attachment, and that it was centered on evolutionary thinking. Because infants are vulnerable and unable to fend for themselves they acquired attachment, to ensure their survival and ultimately their species. (McLeod, 2016) Based off of this theory, as long as an infant is well loved and its biological needs a constantly …show more content…

The children were all studied in their own home and a regular pattern was identified in the development of attachment. These patterns were then put into several stages of attachment beginning with Asocial, when very young infants (zero to six weeks) react in many ways, both social and non-social, and produce favourable reactions, such as a smile. The second stage being Indiscriminate attachment, occurs at 6 weeks to 7 months. Babies enjoy human company and respond equally to any caregiver. For example, they get upset when an individual ceases to interact with them, some at 3 month smile more at familiar faces and can be easily comfortable by a regular caregiver. Stage three is Specific Attachment, happens between seven and nine months. In this stage Special preferences for a single attachment figure occurs. The baby will look for a particular person for security, comfort and protection. It shows fear of strangers and unhappiness when separated from a special person (known as separation anxiety). Some babies show stranger fear and separation anxiety more frequently than others, this is seen as evidence that the baby has formed an attachment. This is usually developed by the time a baby is one. Lastly, the stage of Multiple Attachment occurs, this happens from ten months and onwards. In this stage the baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several

Show More
Related

  • The Strange Situation as a Measure of Attachment Type

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Strange Situation, in which infants are exposed to eight different episodes involving the mother and/or a stranger, is widely used to test attachments, although there are many different views regarding its validity and reliability. In order for the Strange Situation to be considered reliable, a child tested at different times should produce the same reaction every time; this was supported by Main, Kapland and Cassidy’s 1985 study which found that 100% of infants who had been securely attached before 18 months were still securely attached at 6 years, and 75% of those who had been anxious-avoidant remained so. One interpretation of attachment type (based on the Strange Situation) is that it is a fixed characteristic and therefore cannot be changed, but if there is a change in family circumstances this is often not the case. Attachments to mothers and fathers have been proven to be independent – Main and Weston (1981) found that children reacted differently depending on which parent they were with. This shows that the attachment types shown by the Strange Situation are based on qualities of distinct relationships as opposed to a child’s characteristics.

    Read More

  • The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog By Dr. Pary

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Attachment is an important aspect through the developmental stages of a child. It is the process through which an individual develops specific bonds with others (). John Bowlby theorized Attachment Theory, which focuses on a behavioral system that demonstrates the response of an adult when a child signals which can lead to a strong trusting relationship (). Through attachment infants develop strong emotional bonds with others, which can result in a more positive outcome later in life.

    Read More

  • Baby Anxiety Experiment

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    The results of the study claimed that the attachments developed over time and goes through four stages. From birth to six weeks it’s the Pre-attachment or Indiscriminate phase, the infants respond to all stimuli in the same ways and so does not have certain attachments or preferences about who they were with, towards the end of the stage the child begins to show a preference for social stimuli (e.g. smiling). Between six weeks to six months it’s the Discriminating phase, they become extremely sociable with anybody, cl...

    Read More

  • The Attachment Theory and Factors Damaging to Attachment

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    Relationships are the building block for personality and are significant in children’s ability to grow into substantial individuals who can thrive in an often harsh world. Constructing lasting and fulfilling relationships is an integral part to development as the interpersonal bonds forged are not only highly sought after but also set the ground work for all upcoming expressive interactions. Relationships and attachment go hand in hand as attachment is the strong and lasting linkage established between a child and his or her caregiver. Moreover, attachment significantly influences a large capacity of ones make up as it these first relationships that teaches morals, builds self-esteem, and develops a support system. The pioneers of Attachment Theory realized early on that human beings are not solely influenced by drives but that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers greatly impact their ability to forge lasting relationships later in life. John Bowlby was first to introduce this theory to the masses in the 1950’s, and later Mary Ainsworth conducted further research to expand on Bowlby’s theory which proclaims that attachment is a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings” (Bowlby, 1969, p. 194). The attachment bond theory by both Bowlby and Ainsworth focuses on the significance of the relationship between babies and their caretakers which research has suggested is accountable for influencing impending interactions, firming or injuring our capabilities to concentrate, being aware of our emotional states, self-soothing capabilities, and the capacity to be resilient in the face of hardship. Additionally, this research has provided a framework for assisting in describing these att...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Attachment Theory And Attachment Theory

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    The therapeutic process is an opportunity for both healing and restoration as well as discovering new ways of being. Although exposed to a variety of psychological theories, I narrowed my theoretical orientation to a relational psychodynamic approach, drawing on attachment theory and Intersubjective Systems Theory (IST). IST describes how the subjective experiences, both embodied and affective, of an individual becomes the manner of organization, or way of being, in which the person operates in the world relationally. It is through this process of transference and countertransference, the unconscious ways of being can become explicit and through the collaborative effort of therapist and client, new ways of organizing the relational world can

    Read More

  • Infant Attachment Essay

    2096 Words  | 5 Pages

    It has been proposed that infant attachment styles do not change after the first year of life, the following essay will argue against this prompt in that ones attachment style will change continuously throughout life. Attachment theory is based on the joint work of Bowlby and Ainsworth (Bretherton, 1992). In recent years the idea of ‘attachment’ has become and increasingly popular debate within developmental psychology (Bretherton, 1992). Attachment theory provides an explanation on how parent and child relationships are formed and the important role they play in child development. However majority of the research into attachment has focused on identifying the stability of attachment rather then identifying the possible insatiability of

    Read More

  • John Bowlby's Attachment Theory

    2162 Words  | 5 Pages

    The attachment style that a child endures with their mother initially begins before the child is even born. In the mother’s womb, the infant becomes aware of their mother and father’s voices, where they begin to develop a bond with them and feel nurtured and comforted by the things they hear their parents sing and speak to them. According to Bowlby, the development of attachment takes place in four different phases and are reinforced as they grow older from the Preattachment (birth to age 6 weeks), attachment-in-the-making (age 6 weeks to 8 months), clear cut attachment (between 8 months to 1 ½ years of age) and the reciprocal relationship (from 1 ½ or 2 and on). As the child grows older, then begin to understand their parent’s feelings and motives and are able to organize their efforts and reciprocate the same i...

    Read More

  • Comparing John Erikson And Mary Ainsworth And John Bowlby

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    The attachment theory, presented by Mary Ainsworth in 1969 and emerged by John Bowlby suggests that the human infant has a need for a relationship with an adult caregiver, and without a subsequent, development can be negatively impacted (Hammonds 2012). Ainsworth proposes that the type of relationship and “attachment” an infant has with the caregiver, can impact the social development of the infant. As stated by Hammonds (2012), attachment between a mother and a child can have a great impact on the child 's future mental

    Read More

  • Infant Attachment

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)

    Read More

  • The Importance of Attachment for the Children's Development

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attachment theory is the idea that a child needs to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver. The theory proved that attachment is necessary to ensure successful social and emotional development in an infant. It is critical for this to occur in the child’s early infant years. However, failed to prove that this nurturing can only be given by a mother (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Many aspects of this theory grew out of psychoanalyst, John Bowlby’s research. There are several other factors that needed to be taken into account before the social worker reached a conclusion; such as issues surrounding poverty, social class and temperament. These factors, as well as an explanation of insecure attachment will be further explored in this paper.

    Read More

  • Child Development: Ealry Infant Attachment

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the well-studied idea of maternal-infant attachment there has been important insight into a child’s development. Mary Ainsworth found through her “Strange Situation” experiment that there are three distinct types of attachment that infants form; anxious avoidant, secure, and anxious resistant (O’Gorman, 2013). Later a fourth attachment style known as, disorganized attachment, was identified (CITE). Secure attachment is linked to maternal sensitivity just as insecure attachment is linked to maternal rejection or unpredictable maternal response to an infant’s desires and needs (Kinsvatter, Desmond, Yanikoski, & Stahl, 2013). Infants are “at risk” of developing an insecure attachment to their mother when they are placed in alternative care before nine months of age (Stifter, Coulehan, & Fish, 1993). This is concerning in that we see there are negative effec...

    Read More

  • Emotion Regulation in Infants

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crugnola, C.R., Tambelli, R., Spinelli, M., Gazzotti, S., Caprin, C. & Albizzati, A. (2011). Attachment patterns and emotion regulation strategies in the second year. Infant Behaviour and Development, 34(1), 136-151. Doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2010.11.002

    Read More

  • Attachment Theory Of Attachment

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attachment behavior in adults towards the child includes responding sensitively and appropriately to the child’s needs. Such behavior appears universal across cultures. Attachment theory explains how the primary caregiver and child relationship influences development between the two.

    Read More

  • Attachment Patterns Essay

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attachment patterns of a child are developed by the use of strange situation protocol where the attachment of a child is assessed between 12 months and 20 months of the child development. This procedure is not clinical and is used only to supplement the clinical diagnosis procedure called Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), which will be discussed at a later stage of this essay. In the strange situation protocol, a child, and the caregiver are put in an environment with varying conditions and the attachment behaviour of the child is observed. Through this protocol there are there organized attachment categories, which are observed in a child, which include secure attachment, avoidant/attachment and resistant/

    Read More

  • Importance Of Attachment

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attachment would be an emotional connection among either the girlfriend and boyfriend, or the child and the caregiver that takes care of the child. Adults can have different attachment styles such as secure, anxious, fearful, and dismissive. Different styles of attachment affect different things such as how well our relationships will go and how will they end. Me and my boyfriend would fall into the secure attachment style as adults in today’s society. We are both in a loving relationship and in our relationship we have built trust, love, and commitment to one another. We seem happy in our relationship that we are in. Me and my boyfriend have things in common such as going to the movies, playing sports, going on different adventurous, and eating out.

    Read More

More about Importance Of Attachment

Open Document