attachment

• attachment: The emotional bond which forms between an infant and

  another person

  Usually the main caregivers such as mother and father

  Often strong attachment to one parent

  Also may be strong attachment to other significant people in

  the infant’s life

  All infants are born with an innate set of traits and desires,

  with an inherent desire to bond with their caregivers. One of

  these desires is the desire to seek comfort from others.
• infants under 6 months: Do not fully recognise caregiver visually

  From 2 months might be upset if main caregiver not paying

  attention to them

  However, will accept comfort from anyone who provides it
• infants at 6-8 months: Special attachment to main caregiver - usually mother

  Likely to cry and cling when main caregiver leaves

  Reacts with aversion to others who try to comfort

  Developing first meaningful attachment
• Significance of attachment in infancy: Thought to influence emotional development in short term and into

  adulthood

  Linked to development of trust and security

  Absence of attachment can result in anxiety

  Ability to read and analyse emotions, and emotional resilience later in

  childhood linked to type of attachment in infancy
• secure attachment: a child is comforted by a caregiver when distressed. it is when the caregiver meets the child's needs.
• insecure attachment: is when the child is unable to form a secure attachment to their primary caregiver. its when the caregiver is unable to meet the child's needs and ignores them.
• STRANGE SITUATION PROCEDURE

  Mary Ainsworth (1913-1999)

  American psychologist

  Standardised test for measuring

  attachment between child and parent

  Conducted from 9-18 months of age

  Infant exposed to separations and

  reunions involving parent, infant and a

  stranger

  Infant’s behaviour recorded
• Patterns of attachment

  • Secure attachment
  • Anxious (resistant) attachment
  • Avoidant attachment
• Secure attachment


  A style of attachment in which a strong, healthy emotional bond is formed between the infant and their primary caregiver due to the caregiver consistently meeting the needs of the infant
• Insecure-avoidant attachment

  A style of attachment in which the infant fluctuates between clinging to and rejecting their primary caregiver, usually due to the caregiver inconsistently meeting the infant's needs
• Insecure-anxious (resistant) attachment

  A style of attachment in which the infant may be reluctant to or avoid contact from their primary caregiver, usually due to the caregiver NOT responding to the infant's needs
• Anxious and avoidant attachment were identified as forms of insecure attachment
• SECURE

  Balance between dependence and exploration

  Uses caregiver as a safe base

  Shows some distress when caregiver departs

  Enthusiastic when parent returns; seeks physical contact

  Approx 65% of 1-yr-olds

  Leads to good self-esteem, trusting relationships later
• Insecure-anxious (resistant)

  Anxious even when caregiver near

  Very upset when separated from caregiver

  When caregiver returns, infant cries to be picked up but

  squirms to be free

  Possibly due to caregivers not responsive to infant’s needs

  Approx 12% of 1-yr-olds
• Insecure-avoidant

  Infant does not seek closeness or contact with caregiver

  Treats caregiver like a stranger

  Rarely cries when caregiver leaves the room

  Ignores them upon return

  May be due to neglect or abuse

  Approx 20% of 1-yr-olds
• Genetics

  British psychiatrist John Bowlby (1969) proposed that all

  infants have an inborn ‘primary drive’ to form an attachment

  with a caregiver and that mothers are the best caregiver

  Bowlby - infants use genetically inherited abilities to get near

  main caregiver (crying, smiling, gazing, vocalising, clinging)

  However, a more widely held view is that humans may

  inherit a capability to form an attachment, but the type and

  quality is influenced by many factors
• Early life experiences

  First 6-7 months are important for attachment

  Sensitivity and responsiveness of the caregiver

  To ways the baby communicates

  Identify cause of crying and respond

  Attitude towards parenting

  Post-natal depression

  Demographic factors

  Income, family size

  Education etc = Heavily influence social,

  cognitive and emotional

  development + likely

  attachment style which

  shapes later development
• Temperament

  Refers to the relatively stable disposition each individual holds, which is expressed through an individual's

  behaviour and emotions (easy-going friend with a friendly and outgoing temperament)
• Disorganised attachment:

  4th attachment type (Main & Solomon, 1986)

  Infants in Strange Situation showed contradictory behaviours when

  separated or reunited with caregiver

  Linked to maltreatment, hostile caregiving, post-natal depression, mother’s

  unresolved trauma

  Can also be found where none of those factors are present

  Disorganised attachment is a risk factor for mental health disorders
• Harlow’s experiment on

  attachment

  Harry Harlow (1958) - research on attachment in monkeys

  Used surrogates to find out whether provision of food or comfort through

  contact was more important in attachment

  Concluded that contact comfort was more important than feeding

  Generalised his findings from monkeys to humans stating that contact comfort

  is likely to be a crucial factor in human infant - caregiver attachment