Attachment is a complex evolutionary behavioral system that is intertwined with three other behavioral systems: exploratory, affiliative, and wariness. The behavioral systems that are involved with attachment behavior can be activated or terminated in different circumstances. The function of attachment is survival. Attachment can be found in many children’s books, although the two books examined in this essay are I love you all day long by Francesca Rusackas, and The kissing hand by…. These books show evidence of secure attachment through the process of separation and reunion. Attachment is a comprehensive evolutionary based model that describes the etiology and influences child-caregiver relationships; George, C (2017, September 20) …show more content…
His mother’s response was “of course you have to go today” which allows readers to infer that this conversation happens frequently. The first obvious sign of attachment is that Owen did not want to be away from his mother. He made the connection that she will not be with him while he is at school. She comforted him by telling him “You should always remember this, I love you when we are together, and I love you when we are apart” which serves as a comforting statement and allows him to feel more comfortable attending …show more content…
The affiliative system can only activate when the attachment system is terminated. Owen was socializing with another student in the school environment, he decided to share his frog stuffed animal which was a familiar possession of his that helped mitigate the intensity of his response to being separated from his attachment figure (Bowlby, 1969/1982). He seemed content by the illustrations in the book. He also shared his favorite crayon with others which was a continued social and exploratory system activation as is when he played with other toys and on the playground with his peers. As the students are coloring, he made a mistake, and mother states that she loves him even when he makes mistakes. Due to my assumption about Owen’s age range being around three years old, it is easy to infer that his attachment demands have decreased. With his exploratory system and affiliative system being activated, interests other than his mother were able to grasp his attention and occupy his time and there is less that alarms him (Bowlby, 1969/1982). Owen was able to regulate himself when he was having a rough time throughout the school
Criticisms of attachment theory have come mainly from the feminist schools of thought since the theory has been used to argue that no woman with a young child should work outside the home or spend time away from her baby (Goodsell and Meldrum, 2010). Children’s experience and development also depend on what happens after early years, whether bad or good later in life may change a child’s emotional development, e.g. lack of basic needs, diet, education, stimulation such as play might affect a child’s development (Rutter, 1981) Difference in cultures have to be taken into consideration as well. A study by Schaffer and Emmerson (1964) provided contradictory evidence from Bowlby’s attachment theory. They noted attachment was more prominent at eight months, and afterwards children became attached to more than one person. By one year six months only 13%of infants had one attachment. This study by Schafer and Emmerson (1964) concluded care giver can be male or female and mothering can be a shared responsibility. Social workers should therefore understand that parents are not totally responsible for the way the children develop. They did give them their genes and therefore do have some influence. Attachment theory also fails to consider the fact that the father and siblings, and other close relatives can also
In understanding others, one must first understand our own family background and how it affects our understanding of the world. Conversely, family systems draw on the view of the family as an emotional unit. Under system thinking, one evaluates the parts of the systems in relation to the whole meaning behavior becomes informed by and inseparable from the functioning of one’s family of origin. These ideas show that individuals have a hard time separating from the family and the network of relationships. With a deeper comprehension of the family of origin helps with the challenges and awareness of normalized human behaviors. When interviewing and analyzing the family of origin, allow one to look at their own family of origin
Attachments are formed with parents; this contributes to give a sense of who we are and who we will become in later life. However where these attachments are broken the child needs to have a secure attachment established with an alternative adult care giver,...
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
Attachment is an emotional bond between two people regardless of space and time. The father of the psychological theory of attachment, John Bowlby, once said,” Attachment is characterized by specific behavior in children, such as seeking proximity with the attachment figure when upset or threatened.” Although scientists believe a child's development depends on their parenthood, the theory of attachment explains how children are pre-exposed to form attachments.
Sroufe, L.A., & Waters, E. (1977). Attachment as an organizational construct. Child Development. 48, 1-5, 7, 10-12.
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
Attachment plays a vital role in developmental psychology; the imperative research has continued to shape and form a positive contribution to many families and society today. This essay will look at the relevance of secure attachment in healthy life span development, focusing our attention on research evidence. Concentrating on how attachment styles correlate with development in infancy, adolescence and adulthood stages. Attachment is an unrequited emotional connection that bonds one person to another across time and space (Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, 1969). Attachment theory explains the caregiver-infant relationship and how it
The client's identity has been changed in order to keep her safe and maintain confidentiality. The client, who will be be referred to as Regina Smith, is a 64 year-old Caucasian woman who currently resides in a domestic violence shelter for women, Penelope House, in Mobile, Alabama. Regina is homeless after leaving her abusive husband of 25 years. The only source of income for the client is her social security check she receives each month. The client is attempting to save money to secure independent housing at Cathedral Place, a senior living center in Downtown Mobile. She has been doing this by saving her checks and pawning her wedding ring. The client is in good health and has not reported any serious medical condition or diagnosis.
“Attachment theory offers an additional developmental model that emphasizes the importance of caregivers’ responsiveness for the emotional adjustment of children” (Cheng & Mallinckrodt, p. 366, 2009).
An infant’s initial contact with the world and their exploration of life is directly through the parent/ primary caregiver. As the child grows, learns, and develops, a certain attachment relationship forms between them and the principle adult present in this process. Moreover, this attachment holds huge implications concerning the child’s future relationships and social successes. Children trust that their parental figure will be there; as a result, children whom form proper attachments internalize an image of their world as stable, safe, and secure. These children will grow independent while at the same time maintaining a connection with their caregivers. (Day, 2006). However, when a child f...
Ainsworth produced these different styles of attachment through the duration of experiments. These experiments were tested in a structured way. The caregiver and child would sit in a room...
Attachment is an emotional bond that is from one person to another. The attachment theory is a psychological, an evolutionary and an ethological theory that is concerned with relationships between humans, specifically between mother and infant. A young infant has to develop a relationship with at least one of their primary caregivers for them to develop socially and emotionally. Social competence is the condition that possesses the social, emotional and intellectual skills and behaviours, the infant needs these to success as a member of society. Many studies have been focused on the Western society, but there are many arguments to whether or not this can be applicable to other cultures, such as the poorer countries.
According to Kagan et al. (1978) attachment is defined as “An intense emotional relationship that is specific to two people, that endures over time, and in which prolonged separation from the partner is accompanied by stress and sorrow” the definition shows attachment is important in life, and is said that our first attachment is very crucial to our development towards other relationships, e.g. with other family members, friends, and romantic relationships. Bowlby (1973) presented that newly born humans are vulnerable and they are genetically programmed to behave in certain ways to ensure survival, and also states mothers inherit a ‘genetic blueprint’ to respond to the baby at all times. The child’s attachment to their mothers will determine how close they are, and how the child acts around strangers, usually giving off any social responses in reaction to being scared, ill or in unfamiliar...
“Ainsworth and Witting (1969) devised the strange situation to be able to test the nature of attachment systematically” Cardwell, M. et.al (2000). They found three attachment types, secure attachment, insecure-avoidant and insecure –resistant. They found that the different attachments had different effects on a child’s behaviour. Bowlby’s theory talks about having a secure base which allows a child to explore its environment.... ...