Cultural variations in attachment

• What are cultural variations

  Differences in norms and values in different groups
• individualistic vs collectivist culture

  an individualistic culture is where the needs of individuals are emphasised over the needs of a group. whereas a collectivist culture emphasises family an group goals.
• A01 NO1

  In attachment, there’s research by Van Ijzendoorn et al to explore the differences in attachment types in different cultures.
• method of study

  the conducted a meta-analysis of secure attachment, insecure resistant and insecure avoidant in 32 strange situation studies across many different cultures.

  the cultures included UK, USA, Sweden, Germany, Israel, China, Japan and Holland. they excluded children with special needs, those over 2 years and studies with less than 25 mother and infant pairs.
• results

  • results were all combined together, where most secure culture was UK (75 %). least was China (50 %) showed secure.
  • IA was most common in Germany, but least common in Japan.
  • IR was most common in Israel, perhaps because children lived in communal living so are used to being separated form their mothers. but was least common in UK
  • secure attachment found in individualistic
  • insecure avoidant found in both
  • insecure reistant found in collectivist
• evaluation methodology

  POINT- One strength is the research method

  EVIDECE- Sample was almost 2000. using this lane sample increass internal validity as anomalous results are reduced. external validity also increased as theywill therefore apply to other children in different cultures.

  EXPLAIN- SO, we can be more certain on cultural variations of attachment, supporting the study