Developmental Psychology Childhood Section Assignment 1 PDF

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This was submitted for assignment 1 in Childhood Development...

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Callista Ray Student Number: 55842895 Module: PYC4805 Childhood: Assignment 1 Assignment Number: 549889 Due Date: 17 May 2021

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Table of Contents: 1. Introduction

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2. Understanding Attachment

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2.1 Attachment

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2.2 Secure and Insecure Attachment

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2.3 Attachment Milestones

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3. The Development of Attachment

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4. Attachment and Infant Competency

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5. Attachment Milestones and Infant Social Relationships

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6. Conclusion

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7. References

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8. Plagiarism Declaration

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1. Introduction The first few years of life for an infant are crucial in laying a foundation for several lifelong aptitudes. This time of life is rich with development and learning. This development involves significant physiological as well as cognitive evolution and determines much about the kind of person the infant will grow up to be. The question of attachment in infants has been approached with a variety of opinions and implications. Behaviourist theorists disregarded the idea of infant attachment as an important part of childhood development, and the investigation thereof was considered illogical (Belsky, 2018). In contrast, psychoanalysts believed that attachment in infants played a crucial role in how infants interacted with caregivers and subsequently formed relationships in childhood, and later adulthood (Belsky, 2018). The concept and construction of attachment is significantly extensive. This essay will attempt to clarify what attachment is, discuss the development of attachment during infancy, and how it relates to the competencies of the infant. Attachment milestones will also be examined and how these milestones affect the infant’s first social relationships will be indicated.

2. Understanding Attachment

2.1 Attachment Belsky compares the feeling of attachment to being in love and desiring to be close to the object of one’s affection (Belsky, 2018). Infant attachment is the relationship that a baby forms with their primary caregiver. It is thought that most species form this infant attachment “soon after birth” (Belsky, 2018, p. 106) as a means of survival. The foremost person in this relationship is know as the primary attachment figure (Belsky, 2018). There are also variations of this phenomena, namely secure and insecure attachments.

2.2 Secure and Insecure Attachment Secure attachment occurs when a healthy and positive connection is formed between an infant and their primary attachment figure. An insecure attachment manifests as one of the following: an avoidant attachment, an anxious-ambivalent attachment, or a disorganised attachment. It has been noted by developmentalists that these attachment styles are not 3

indicative of fragile relationships (Belsky, 2018). These attachment styles influence the social connections and future attachments of the infant. Longitudinal studies have indicated that infants with secure attachments grow up to have better mental health and have children who display secure attachments (Belsky, 2018).

2.3 Attachment Milestones Attachment milestones measure the formation and process of attachment in infancy. According to Bowlby (cited in Belsky, 2018) the first stage is the Preattachment Phase. The milestone thereof is the ‘social smile’ which occurs when the baby is about two months old (Belsky, 2018). The infant is instinctively creating attachment and does not deliberately display this behaviour.

At about four months of age the next milestone is reached called Attachment-In-TheMaking. The infant will display a slight preference for their primary caregiver at this stage but is still comfortable being with people other than the caregiver (Belsky, 2018).

The next milestone is reached at about seven or eight months of age and is called Clear-Cut or Focused Attachment. This is described as the beginning of a “full-blown attachment response” (Belsky, 2018, p. 108). This stage is represented by separation anxiety and stranger anxiety. Separation anxiety describes the distress an infant feels when separated from their primary attachment figure, and stranger anxiety is characterised by the fear an infant will display towards anyone who is not their primary attachment figure.

3. The Development of Attachment

It can be understood that the process of infant attachment stems from an evolutionary drive and not a deliberate action. An infant will develop a ‘social smile’ as a reflex when it is about two months old. This smile occurs when the baby looks at any person’s face, and it is believed to have formed to encourage caregiving according to Bowlby (cited in Belsky, 2018). The bidirectional relationship between carer and baby might be strengthened on the caregiver’s side as this social smile elevates the dyad’s relationship to “a different plane” (Belsky, 2018, p. 107).

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As the baby grows the attachment transitions into the Attachment-In-The-Making phase. This progression takes place when the infant is about four to five months old, and although the infant is not displaying definite preference for the primary caregiver, there begins a change in the infant’s way of thinking. Belsky refers to this as “the cortex is coming online” (Belsky, 2018, p. 107). There is a physiological change in the infant’s brain and this development then progresses to the next phase of attachment which is Clear-Cut or Focused Attachment.

This focused attachment occurs when the infant is around 7 months of age and lasts into toddlerhood. The most obvious sign of this developmental step in attachment is represented by separation anxiety and stranger anxiety. In separation anxiety the child may become intensely upset and distressed when parted from their primary caregiver. The style of attachment is determined by the child’s behaviour towards the caregiver when they are reunited. Stranger anxiety is when the child refuses to engage with people who are not their primary caregiver. This refusal is due to a newly developed fear of others and a need to be with their primary caregivers.

The child’s own personality and temperament plays a large role in the kind of attachment that forms with their caregiver. This is reciprocated by the caregiver in response to the child’s behaviour. As the attachment relationship is bidirectional, a very fussy or difficult child will evoke a less sensitive response from their caregiver (Belsky, 2018). This attachment style may influence the competency of the infant enormously.

4. Attachment and Infant Competency

The inability to form a secure attachment may impact the competency of the infant in several ways. If one of the steps for the development of attachment is missing it may delay the development of the child. It may be a signal that there is a neurological problem with the infant, or it may mean that the child will have problems with emotions and relationships in the future. It is said that the most prevalent sign of future behavioural issues is a disorganised attachment style as these children will display hostile and anti-social behaviour (Bohlin and others, 2012; Pasco Fearon & Belsky, 2011; cited in Belsky, 2018).

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Attachment sets an infant up for not only relationship with other people, but with themselves as well. Children will have inadequate social and communicative skills if they cannot securely attach while infants. They may have self esteem and interpersonal problems that develop due to their insecure attachment as infants.

A delay in any kind of development will cause a domino effect regarding any further development that needs to take place. This might influence the competencies of the infant while they develop trust and how to interact with the people around them. A child who does not receive adequate sensitivity and proper care will develop a ‘reactive attachment disorder’ (Belsky, 2018). This may lead to danger as the child has no sense of fear towards strangers.

5. Attachment Milestones and Infant Social Relationships

Attachment milestones signify that an infant is developing in a normal physiological and cognitive way. This is an indicator for caregivers and parents that the infant is on the path of attachment development. If the infant is not following the normal timeline and displaying the appropriate behaviour for each milestone it can be indicative of developmental abnormalities. This can aid caregivers to adjust their approaches and get the necessary help for the infant. It has been shown that if a child is avoidant with their caregivers, they will continue this kind of avoidant attachment with other people in their lives, for example their peers and teachers (Belsky, 2018).

The inability to form a secure attachment as an infant will carry on as the child grows and may manifest in different ways. A child with anxious-ambivalent attachments will display the same kind of attachment in friendships and romantic relationships. This behaviour might manifest as being clingy in a relationship (Belsky, 2018) and the individual will lack confidence. The child with the avoidant-attachment will continue to appear cold and unavailable in personal relationships. The disorganised-attached child will display a lack of self-control and may be hostile towards others.

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6. Conclusion

It is clear the development of attachment is a vital aspect of infancy and formative years. Attachment affects multiple aspects of development, as it relates to the interaction of the infant with the people closest to them, and gradually expands as they grow. It also relates to how the infant later thinks and feels about themselves, as insecure attachment can lead to a negative self-image and unsuccessful future relationships. The attachment that infants form with their caregivers will determine how they progress in emotional development and can determine their social capabilities. It is evident then that “a secure baby is set up to succeed socially” (Belsky, 2018, p. 113).

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7. References

Belsky, J. (2018). Experiencing Childhood and Adolescence. New York: Worth Publishers.

8. Plagiarism Declaration

PLAGIARISM DECLARATION 1. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is using another’s work and pretending that it is one’s own work 2. I have used the American Psychological Association (APA) as the convention for citation and referencing. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this assignment from work, or works of other people has been attributed and has been cited and referenced. 3. This assignment is my own work 4. I have not allowed, and will not allow anyone, to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work. 5. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment, or part of it, is wrong, and declare that this assignment is my own work. Signed: Callista Ray

Date: 16 May 2021

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