Attachment

• Caregiver infant interactions: Reciprocity

  • the infant and caregiver respond mutually to each others signals
• Caregiver infant interactions: Interactional synchrony

  • When the mother and baby react and mirror each other's actions.
• Schaffer and Emerson stages of attachment

  • asocial stage
  • indiscriminate stage
  • specific attachment
  • multiple attachment
• Asocial stage

  • very young infants show no specific attachments
• Indiscriminate stage

  • babies enjoy human company and start to recognise certain people
• Specific attachment

  • Special preference to one specific figure, usually the primary caregiver
  • Shows fear when in presence of strangers
• Multiple attachment

  • babies become increasingly independent and form several attachments
• The role of the father

  • expectation in western cultures that the father should play a larger role than in previous years
  • fathers are known as the play mates and the mothers are the caregivers
• The role of the father: cultural factors

  • stereotypes: stay at home mum, working father
  • in more modern culture this is not the case
  • Indian families have strict traditional values
• The role of the father: biological factors

  • men lack emotional sensitivity to infant cues (Heerman 1994)
  • Women have the hormone oestrogen which increases their emotional needs
• Bowlbys monotropic theory

  • suggests attachment is important for a Childs survival
  • monotropy: a child has an innate need to attach to one main figure
• Critical period

  • suggests there is a critical period for developing attachment in the form of 6 months.
• Internal working model

  • primary attachments influence later relationships
  • creates a blueprint for later attachments
• Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation

  • suggests continual disruption between infant and caregiver can lead to long term difficulties
• Secure attachment

  • show separation anxiety when caregiver leaves but can be easily comforted upon arrival
  • friendly with strangers when mother is present
• Insecure - resistant attachment

  • severe separation anxiety and cannot be comforted when mother returns
  • shows fear when in the presence of strangers even when mother is there
• insecure- avoidant attachment

  • signs of distress when mother leaves but little interest to reunite upon arriva
• cultural influences

  • whether patterns of attachment are universal or appear to be are subject to cultural influences
• The role of the father limitations

  • does not take into account non-heterosexual partnerships
  • difficult to research due to many factors influencing it