attatchment

• Attachment


  The bond that an infant forms with their primary caregiver, characterised by proximity and feelings of being comforted and content
• Attachment styles


  The different forms that the attachment bond can take
• Attachment behaviours


  The responses of a child examined to determine their attachment style
• 5 phases of attachment development

  1. First few months: Orienting towards people indiscriminately

  2. 5 - 7 months: Orienting and preferentially engaging with caregiver

  3. 7 - 9 months: Going to caregiver, expressing distress when separated (onset of attachment)

  4. 2 - 3 years: Goal-corrected partnership, child accommodates caregiver's needs

  5. 4 years+: Switch from physical proximity to emotional closeness
• Internal working model of attachment

  A cognitive prototype influencing a person's perception of and reactions to other relationships
• Bowlby's views on the stability of attachment follow Freud's psychoanalytic ideas on how early childhood experiences determine future
• A revisionist perspective suggests early attachment representations can be revised with new life experiences
• Attachment style at 12 months predicts attachment later in life, but this effect diminishes with age
• Secure attachment at infancy

  • Associated with more curiosity and problem solving at age 2, social confidence at age 3, empathy at age 5, fewer internalising and externalising behaviours at age 3, social competence, internalising and externalising behaviours similarly in males vs females and high/middle SES vs low-SES children
• Ainsworth's attachment styles


  • Type A (Dismissive/Avoidant): Not distressed, ignores/turns away at reunion
  • Type B (Secure): May be distressed but recovers, actively seeks proximity
  • Type C (Anxious/Ambivalent): May be distressed or oblivious, seeks proximity but resists
  • Type D (Disorganised): No obvious pattern, inconsistent or bizarre responses
• The universality hypothesis: When given an opportunity, most infants will become attached to at least one specific caregiver
• The normativity hypothesis: Most infants are securely attached in contexts that are not inherently threatening to human health and survival
• The sensitivity hypothesis: Attachment security depends on sensitive and prompt responses to the infant's signals
• 5 - 7 months: Orienting and preferentially engaging with caregiver


  At this stage, infants begin to show a preference for their primary caregiver and will orient towards and engage more with their caregiver than with strangers.
• 7 - 9 months: Going to caregiver, expressing distress when separated (onset of attachment)


  At this stage, infants become more aware of their caregiver's absence and may become distressed when separated from them. They may also seek out their caregiver for comfort and security.
• 2 - 3 years: Goal-corrected partnership, child accommodates caregiver's needs


  At this stage, toddlers begin to understand their caregiver's needs and desires, and may adjust their behavior accordingly. They may also begin to show empathy and concern for their caregiver's well-being.
• First few months: Orienting towards people indiscriminately

  At this stage, infants are not yet able to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar people. They will orient towards anyone who approaches them, as they have not yet formed a specific attachment to a caregiver.
• 4 years+: Switch from physical proximity to emotional closeness


  At this stage, children may no longer need to be in physical proximity to their caregiver for comfort and security. Instead, they may seek emotional closeness and connection with their caregiver, such as through conversation or shared activities.