Attachment essay - Grade: 60 PDF

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Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist developed the strange situation test to understand the types of attachment behaviours. Ainsworth studied the ‘attachment and exploration balance’ of children aged one year. This study involved looking at children using a two-way mirror and noting how they reacted when they were separated and reunited with their caregiver, showing the level of attachment the child has towards their caregiver. There are different types of attachment. Secure attachment refers to most infants. A securely attached child can happily and confidently play by themselves, they are able to remain happy around a stranger while their attached figure is there. Once the attached caregiver leaves, the child will become distressed however, they are quickly consoled and comforted once the attached figure returns. Secure attachment is vital to the development of children as this provides children with trust in others. This enables a child to feel secure in themselves, providing resilience. Secure attachment enables healthy development in children both socially and cognitively, providing them with more success in their education and future relationships with others. (Mary D. Salter Ainsworth and Silvia M. Bell, 1970) A minority of infants are affected by insecure attachment. The infant may not seek contact with their caregiver or may even show negative motives towards their caregiver such as a negative facial expression. They won’t show signs of distress once the caregiver leaves the room. Or seek attention from the caregiver when they return, displaying behaviours of avoidance. Attachment of infants to their caregivers is important to their psychological development in childhood as insecure attachment may lead to problems within their development such as facing difficulty communicating emotionally such as talking about feelings of loss. A lack of a ‘secure base’ in infancy can cause negative impacts psychologically. They may control their feelings and limit expression of emotions, which can be damaging for future relationships as they will lack trust, holding onto their independence, and tend to often be cynical. (www.fairstartfoundation.com, accessed (15/02/19)) Anxious, ambivalent attachment is when an infant feels a sense of separation anxiety when the caregiver leaves and does not feel reunited or reassured when they return. The infant is not securely attached as they do not know the reaction they will receive from their caregiver and the child may not understand the way in which to react when reunited with the caregiver. Creating difficulties in development such as behavioural problems or mental illness. Bowlby thought that attachment during infancy was vital to the psychological development of children, as this is an adaptive trait, when an infant is most vulnerable, needing protection. Genetic behaviours can lead to the caregiver and infant to be in close proximity, increasing chance of survival. Causing infants to show attachment behaviours, such as calling or rooting, or aversive attachment behaviours, causing the caregiver to comfort them, such as crying. (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk, accessed (16/02/19)) Freud believed that infants were attached to their caregivers because of drive reduction. That the mother is vital as primarily an object, allowing needs to be met orally through breast feeding. In contrast to this argument, the study Harlow studied whether rhesus monkeys would prefer a wire monkey that provided milk or a cloth monkey that could not provide milk, when a strange object was introduced to them. The monkeys would run to the

cloth monkey for security when the strange object was introduced. The study disproved Freud’s theory of infants only wanting their mother for food. Showing that social development can be supported through comfort and reassurance. (www.simplypsychology.org, (accessed 15/02/19)) Attachment of infants to their caregiver is highly important to the development of children as maternal deprivation has been associated with many negative experiences for a child’s future. Effects of deprivation of maternal attachment during infancy are often shown later during development in childhood. This shows how deprivation of attachment can negatively impact the development of a child. Their social development will be stunted as they will not have the secure attachment to want to venture and partake in exploratory behaviour, preventing them from interacting with others. A strong attachment has been shown to encourage good socio-economic abilities in childhood. According to (Bohlin, G., Hagekull, B., & Rydell, A.-M. (2000) this can lead to successful psychological development as they will be more ‘socially active, positive and popular at school age’. Secure attachment can ‘ organize the patterns of structural growth that result in the expanding functional capacities of a developing individual’, providing good cognitive abilities. (www.tandfonline.com (accessed 14/02/19)) An example of the negative effects of insecure attachment is Bowlby’s ’Forty-four juvenile thieves’ study which focused on the relationship between maternal deprivation and crime. Two sets of children were examined, one set of juveniles, and control group with a set of children with emotional issues. In the group of thieves, some children were seen to be emotionless and suffer from extended periods of separation from their caregiver. However, in the control group, more children were seen to have depression, and only a few children had been separated from their caregiver. This study displayed how maternal separation in infancy can negatively impact the psychological development of children, leading to crime and lack of affection. (M. Follan, H. Minnis, 2010) The Hodges and Tizard study (1989) studied whether children brought up in institutions would have their attachment effected. This study showed how children raised in intuitions with little attachment faced difficulty in life. Children who were returned to their own homes exhibited a weaker attachment, and children who were adopted displayed good attachment. This experiment agreed with Bowlby as it highlighted the importance of attachment on infants. However, disagreeing with Bowlby is that although attachment was delayed, this did not stop them from forming an attachment later in life and forming affection, like Bowlby thought. (Hodges, J. & Tizard, B. (1989)) In conclusion, children with secure attachment in infancy will develop better psychologically. This will provide them with a more successful future. A child will be more inclined to have a better socio-economic outcome and do well academically and socially due to their ability to form successful relationships with others, stimulated by their initial secure attachment with their caregiver. Insecure attachment results in negative development such as anxiety and trust issues, impacting their psychological development and stunting their chances of success. Secure attachment in infancy is vital in order to provide healthy and normal development during childhood as this can impact on the child massively.

References

Mary D. Salter Ainsworth, & Bell, S. (1970). Attachment, Exploration, and Separation: Illustrated by the Behavior of One-Year-Olds in a Strange Situation. Child Development, 41(1), 49-67. doi:10.2307/1127388 M. Follan, H. Minnis. (2010). Forty-four juvenile thieves revisited: from bowlby to reactive attachment disorder. ( 13/02/19) Retrived from https://doi.org/10.1111/j.13652214.2009.01048.x Bohlin, G., Hagekull, B., & Rydell, A.-M. (2000). Attachment and social functioning: A longitudinal study from infancy to middle childhood. Social Development, 9(1), 24-39. Effects of Attachment on Early and Later Development. (14/02/19). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1179/096979507799103360?needAccess=true Hodges, J. & Tizard, B. (1989) Social and family relationships of ex-institutional adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 77-97) Attachment theory. (16/02/19). Retrieved from https://www2.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/default/files/folders/documents/childreneduca tionandfamilies/educationandlearning/schools/virtualschools/Attachment_Theory.pdf Attachment Theory. (15/02/19). Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html Gazzaniga, M. S, 2018, psychological science) Chapter 9 (pp 347) Insecure Avoidant Attachment Behaviour. (15/02/19). Retrieved from http://fairstartfoundation.com/9-5-insecure-avoidant-attachment-behaviour/#)...