Development of Attachment Essay examples

One of the most important factors that affect child development is the relationship of the child with their primary caregiver. This is a tenet of developmental psychology known as attachment theory. John Bowlby, the creator of this theory, wanted to examine how early childhood experiences influence personality development. Attachment theory specifically examines infant’s reactions to being separated from their primary caregiver. Bowlby hypothesized that the differences in how children react to these situations demonstrates basic behavioral differences in infancy that will have consequences for later social and emotional development.

Attachment relationships between child and parent is differentiated based on two categories, secure and insecure, (Quan, Bureau, Yurkowski, Moss & Pallanca, 2013). Insecure stage also have been divided into avoidant, resistant and disorganized (Holmes, 2001).

However, Belsky and Rovin argued that individual differences in attachment relate to both theories because different temperaments will present different challenges to the caregiver, a ‘slow to warm up’ baby would need more encouragement, which may influence the formation of a secure attachment.

Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)

The formation of secure attachments with the primary caregiver is thought to be of great significance by John Bowlby, who believed that the infant was completely reliant on the caregiver to care and provide for them (as cited in Psychology, Martin, Carlson & Buskist). Those children with sensitive caregivers would grow up to be more confident and developed in all aspects of life, for example forming relationships in later life. Those with unresponsive caregivers would see the world as unpredictable and unreliable. Nelson (1996) claimed that the bond between the primary caregiver and child is extremely important in how an infant sees the world around them (as cited in Attachment from infancy to childhood). Yet, attachments, in this case insecure ones, are not the only reason as to why we develop into the individuals we are. There are other causes that are unrelated to attachment that explain our later development.

Although secure attachment during infancy is the foundation for continued healthy positive development during the lifespan, it is important to understand that other factors can have a significant effect on development later in life (i.e. illness, loss, and trauma). However, research has shown the importance of consistent care giving that is responsive and nurturing and the caregivers’ ability to effectively accommodate more difficult temperament characteristics ,as well as other factors, influence the development of healthy attachment{{64 Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian 2003}}. Research has also shown that infancy and early childhood is the period of development where scaffolding begins and continues (Vygotsky, 1978; Zhao & Orey,1999).

Securely attached children are confident that their mothers would be able to satisfy their needs. These children used their mothers as a point of reference so they can comfortably explore their surroundings, and they seek their mothers in times of distress (Main, & Cassidy, 1988). Consequently, the avoidant children would not use their mothers to explore their environment. These infants also would not seek their mothers during times of distress. Overall, the avoidant children were independent both physically and emotionally (Behrens, Hesse, & Main, 2007). Infants become avoidant when their attachment figures are unavailable during times of emotional distress. Contrarily, the infants with ambivalent attachment style would demonstrate dependent

In the future, a child with a secure attachment is empathetic and eager to try new things in life (Perry; Romero). A typical child has an optimistic attitude and they enjoy interacting with other people (Perry). Also, “Kids who were secure as infants

Attachment is a necessity in psychological development, because it has long term effects on the infant's entire life. Parents will want to develop a secure attachment with their child by building up a sense of trust. Furthermore, the development of trust and a secure attachment all depends on the parents' interactions starting at birth: neglectful parents, who don't respond within a reasonable amount of time to their crying baby, will not have a strong attachment with the baby. He or she will feel abandoned, resulting in slower brain development and difficulties at coping to new social interactions in toddlerhood. On the other hand, parents, who almost immediately respond to their child's cries, will have a strong attachment. This will lead

During the first 8 months, my daughter formed a strong attachment to me and her father. According to Ainsworth strange situation and patterns of attachment theories, children react differently to being separated from their mother and left alone with strangers. There are four types of attachments known as avoidant, ambivalent, secure, and disorganized-disorientated attachment patterns. For the most part, my daughter had a secure attachment while showing signs of ambivalent attachment behavior at times. According to Thomas and Chess's studies, classic temperamental categories for babies include easy, difficult, and slow-to-warm-up temperaments. Katherine has a slow-to-warm-up temperament which means she takes longer to adjust to new situations

Myers (2014) explains that attachment is the bond between a child and a caregiver: it can be secure or insecure. In order to foster attachment there needs to be not only nourishment, but comfort and familiarity with the caregiver. When children are insecurely attached they are less likely to explore their environment freely. Securely attached children have very attentive mothers who respond well to their needs. Inattentive mothers tend to foster insecure attachment in their children by not attending well to their needs. Our genes also help to form our personality, but programs used to train parents to be sensitive to their child 's needs can slightly affect attachment in infants. Children can suffer from health issues, psychological problems, and even have lowered IQ because of deprivation of attachment (Karen, 1994).

An attachment is an emotional bond formed between a parent and a child. An attachment is common between a mother and a child. Strange anxiety is when a child tends to fear when they see an unfamiliar person. However, the primary attachment figure is usually mother for a child. A child uses a secure base, usually a primary attachment figure when exploring around. One of the researchers named Ainsworth has created a procedure to propose attachment behavior. Key behaviors observed by researchers in each attachment are the child’s exploration of toys, and the reaction of a child when the caregiver leaves and returns to the room. There are four types of attachments that researchers have agreed on. The first one is a secure attachment that involves

In order for children to thrive, infants need to experience healthy nurturing relationships with their mother or caregiver. Nevertheless, without a mother infant attachment bond the growth and development of personality would be non-existent to the infant or child. For the explanation if attachment, family factors do play an imperative role for positive development in a mother infant attachment bond. Studies show that an individual who has a healthy relationship with parent s will have a positive or nurturing relationship with their peers (Richters & Walters, 1991). Individuals who are alienated growing up are more prone to the development of eating disorders or self-harm behaviors that had negative experiences growing up in a house hold with conflicts, or the lack of socialization skills (Richters & Walters, 1992).

By responding with care and comfort, this enables for an “attachment bond” to form between the infant and caregiver, most commonly the mother (White et al., 2013). Following on from Bowlby’s theory, Mary Ainsworth investigated the theory of attachment through observing the reactions of infants when their mothers left them alone with strangers. The investigation was named as the “Ainsworth’s strange situation assessment” (White et al., 2013). It was discovered through this investigation that infants who had secure attachments with their mothers were upset when separated and were easily soothed when the mother returns. This investigation implies that infants with secure attachment to their mothers show signs of normal social development.

Infant development is inseparable from the progression of the infant’s relationship with caregivers. Contemporary accounts of the early comments highlighted the role of parents and other guardians in supporting infants gradually (Lyons-Ruth & Zeanah, 1993). This is because the infant needs parents who can help her negotiate the developmental task. Thus, there are 4 stages to develop which is birth to 4 weeks, age 1 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months and 6 to 12 months.