CPSY 5252W
Advocacy Paper Final Draft
Runyu Shang
May 3rd 2016
Advocacy Paper
Recently, more and more people notice the significance of the attachment between parents and their children, because of the importance and long-term influence of the quality of attachment. The attachment security is associated with children’s future in many aspects, especially social and emotional development. Prosocial behavior is a vital part and obvious predictor of children’s social and emotional development. In addition, the impact on prosocial behaviors might also be a long time influence to impact children’s social life in the future, according to Cranot and Mayseless’ (2012) study. Based on another research (Panfile & Laible, 2012), children who do not have secure attachment seem likely to show less prosocial behaviors to others, and more aggressive behaviors.
However, this kind of behavior problem is hard to deal with just by teachers in school, because the cause of the problem is an insecure or disorganized attachment between parents and children. In addition, it is also hard for educators to join in children’s family life to support them all the time because the parents are the people who would spend more time with their kids and know more about their own children compared with teachers. Parents or caregivers need to join the team to help children to reduce challenging behaviors and increase prosocial behaviors. But when children show some misbehaviors, parents, who might not receive
attachment relation can help orphan overcome their adaptive problems.” (Laing , 2007) In a situation as tragic as childhood abandonment one can only hope that a child finds this positive guidance. Children who are brought up with this attachment styles grow up to be adults with healthy relationships and do not fear interactions with others and do not block others out emotionally. Adults who were raised with secure attachment styles feel comfortable with standing on their own and not depend on relationships to determine their self-worth.
Because secure attachment is associated with social competency, and the importance of attachment relationships within middle childhood is considered important, studies have begun but there is not a’single dominant measurement nor a unifying conceptualisation of attachment’ (chapter 6 section5)
Attachment-based relationships stem from attachment behaviour, which is conceived as any form of behaviour that results in a person attempting, or retaining proximity to some other differentiated and preferred individual, who is usually perceived as stronger or wiser (Ainsworth, 1985). These relationships have a strong connection with the development, functioning, and well-being across the lifespan, in both parent-child relationships, and adult relationships. This essay sets out to display and prove the positive relationship between secure attachment relationships and positive development, well-being, and functioning, across the lifespan.
Attachment is defined as a deep, affectionate, and enduring emotional bond that forms between two people, namely an infant and a caregiver. It is developed during the first years of an infant’s life and has four types depending on the quality of the attachment: secure, ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganised. It has been reported that approximately only 60 to 65 percent of children form secure attachment to their caregivers. Research indicates that the early attachment relationship is an essential foundation for later development. Insecurely attached infants are more likely to grow into aggressive, defiant and hyperactive individuals with lower academic skills compared to securely attached children, they are also more prone to psychiatric disorders and other problems. In contrast, individuals who form a secure attachment in their infancy are more resilient to depression, parental stress, family instability, and poverty compared to those who form an insecure attachment. Given the prevalence and consequences, it is important to educate parents on the impacts that attachment quality can have on a child’s development and later life.
Secure attachment has long term positive effects through the children’s life. The child will have a high self-esteem because the parent would see he or she is important; thus, the child would reflect that. Another characteristic would be autonomy, during infancy the mother made a safe environment leading the teen to feel a sense of capability. In addition, the teen also sees the world as nonviolent place and is optimistic about life.
How an individual reacts and interprets everyday situations can be influenced by many different causes. Whereas these causes can range from individual to environmental in nature, the earliest of our preferences and relationships can go on to dictate our actions and beliefs. None of these are as important as the bond shared between a mother and child. As Mary Ainsworth once said “… [A] mothers ' behaviour appears to be the most important factor in establishing a secure or insecure attachment.” (Ainsworth et al., 1978; Isabella & Belsky, 1991, as cited in Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2013). This essay will aim to discuss the consequences of secure and insecure attachments on intellectual, emotional and social child developmental. It will look briefly at children without their mother as their initial attachments, then it shall cover disorganised attachment. It shall then explain how attachment types suggest how children will react in social situations, their emotional well-being and how successful they are academically.
The relationship between security of attachment and cognitive development creates the underlying foundation from which individual’s operate throughout the lifespan (Carruth, 2006). The security of attachment between an infant and their primary caregiver can have profound consequences for the developing brain, impacting an infant’s future relationships, self-esteem, and ability to self-regulate emotions (Carruth, 2006). Attachment theory, first theorized by John Bowlby (1988), stresses the significance of secure attachments in relation to cognitive development. Secure attachment is correlated with a decrease in high risk behaviors, fewer mental health issues, positive coping strategies, and healthy social skills (Burkett & Young, 2012
Scientist wanted to know how adolescents function and see if there is any similarity with one another. Those with secure attachment relationship scored high on emotional intelligence and protective resources (Thompson, 2008). The purpose of having an attachment relationship is for the adolescents to deal with emotions and social relationships in general. With no attachment it becomes more complicated for the adolescents to process and handle their problems. The adolescents were tested to see what kind of attachment style they have and where their emotional intelligence (Petrides, Sangareau, Furnham, & Frederickson,
Attachment theory is rooted in the biological concept that children seek proximity to their parents or caregivers as a mean to survive stressful or dangerous situation. Interaction between children and their care givers are integrated into representational or internal working models that guide children understanding of current and future relationships, including expectations regarding the trustworthiness and predictability of others. Attachment security is fostered when children trust that their care-givers are accessible and capable of responding to their needs and safety. Parental divorce is a stressful time that may initiate different changes.
The essence of attachment to a developing infant cannot be overstated. It is at the heart of healthy child development. Also, it lays a foundation when it comes to relating with others. It plays a crucial role in influencing the parent's ability to nurture and to be responsive to their children. The effects of attachment to the developing infant are long-term. Bowlby, the developer of the theory of infant-caregiver attachment, attachment security determines the infant’s preferential desire for contact with his or her caregiver (Levine, 23). The child uses the caregiver as a “secure base” from which to explore the environment. When infants develop securely attached relationships to their caregivers, they will have positive behaviours in the future. They also tend to show resiliency to new environments.
Secure attachment is when a child uses the mother as a secure base to explore. When children are securely attached, they get upset when their caregivers leave and get happy when they return to them. They accept contact from the parent and prefer parents to strangers. Parents with securely attached children usually play more with their children and act more quickly to their children’s needs with a more positive response. A child with insecure avoidant attachment will avoid or ignore the parent when they are present and show no emotions when they leave or return.
Secure attachment is a theory viewed by most as an important part of an individual development with an emphasis on early childhood. Most individuals would say that secure attachment is indeed very important for early childhood development and should be emphasized to help them grow in a secure environment which may promote self confidence and emotional stability during adulthood. Bowlby’s theory of attachment was developed to explain how children needed secure attachment during early childhood, after observing children suffering from emotional instability because they were separated from their parents’ security and protection as opposed to those children who were raised in a secure and comfortable environment. Later
According to Psychology Today, attachment is key to social, emotional, cognitive, and personality development. It also affects all of the child’s relationships throughout his or her life. The attachment system provides the
How does attachment influence the social and emotional development of the child? A child’s social and emotional development has significant implications for the social functioning of a child throughout their lives, in their education, friendships and employment. A child with poor or social and emotional development are at risk of experiencing poor relationships with peers, academic problems and can lead them into involvement in unsociable activities or crime. Research suggests the key to social and emotional development lies in the child’s early relationship with parents and caregivers. It is believed that children develop and thrive better when they are brought up in an environment where the caregiver satisfies a child’s needs physically and emotionally.
The idea that an insecure attachment will interfere with the child’s development seems to support the idea that a secure attachment bond is more convenient for both child and parent although their ideas seem too vague, and not compare examples between a secure and an insecure child.