An Attachment Between A Child And An Adult

Perhaps the most influential explanation of attachment was presented by John Bowlby who began developing his ideas in the 1940s. Bowlby was commissioned by the World Health Organisation to investigate whether young children were likely to be harmed if they are separated from their mothers in the early years. (Hayes, 1996). Bowlby (1951) reported that infants possesses an innate need to attach to one main attachment figure (this was usually the mother). According to Hayes (1996), this is a special relationship which is qualitatively different from the relationship they form with any other kind of person. He described this as the process of monotropy; however, Bowlby did not deny that babies formed lots of attachments. (Bailey et al. 2008).

If any problems occur to the child, they can return to their secure base which is their key worker, who can offer them comfort. Although key workers are not there for children who have not formed an attachment with their parents, they are they to offer support and comfort. The strength of Bowlby’s approach is that it has introduced the key worker system, which has helped a great deal with supporting children’s needs and development. Key workers can track their progress and plan and implement activities which promote their development. While working at my last year’s placement in a nursery setting, I was informed that each child had a key worker assigned to them. I observed that when parents would leave their children, some would cry and get upset, the key worker would then take them aside and comfort them or try to distract them. Having the key workers there for them made the child more emotionally secure.

What is the definition of attachment? If you look it up in a dictionary it explains that it is ‘an emotional bond between an infant or toddler and primary caregiver, a strong bond being vital for the child’s normal behavioural and social development’. That strong bond between infant and caregiver is believed to happen between the ages of 6-8 months although Bowlby (1958) suggests that the infants are born into this world pre-programmed to form attachments, they have innate behaviours in the way of crying, smiling, crawling and cooing which will stimulate attention and comforting responses from the caregivers. These behaviours are called social releasers. Kagan et al (1978)

John Bowlby’s work in attachment has been the foundation when determining the attcahments and bonds that a child and parent may experience (Webb, 2011). According to Bowlby, “attachment” is referring to a lasting, mutual bond of affection that is dependent on an individual or more than one person (Webb, 2011). Establishing a secure attachment during infancy and early childhood is an important task of a parent or a caregiver. Not all parents or caregivers can provide their child with a secure attachment at this important in life due to various reasons. Since parents are the main providers in their child’s development of attachment, their lives and history has a great influence on their children’s lives.

at this age, babyâ€TMs starts to bond through attachment and skin to skin contact via feeding. They form a strong attachment with parentâ€TMs/carers. Tantrums may also start in babies.

One of the key theorists of attachment is John Bowlby and his ‘Attachment theory". Bowlby believed ‘the attachment of a caregiver is an inherited mechanism to

All children and young people need strong attachments, this is said by the theorist John Bowlby. John Bowbly said that children and young people will need consistency, trust and a good bonding weather it is their key worker or the parent of the child. If the child or young person has someone which can they can trust, the transitions will be more easier for the child. Children who have positive relationships on transitions can have long term impacts which is having the ability to cope and be more strong. Children and young are likely to be more successful academically and socially they will feel cared for, valued and respected their learning development will continue instead of dip. Also, they will feel more confident to explore and have self

Bowlby stated attachment was not shaped solely from the child’s acceptance, but the behaviour of another significant other, usually the mother or caregiver who had a crucial role in the child’s growth. The growth and development of the child is reliant on four stages of process from birth, Bowlby stated these stages were where the child would bind to the mother or vice versa, he proposed one to two months old in which the infant shows attachment to the mother by crying, sucking. The second stage up to six months old the child has the focus on a mother figures and attaches to the one he or she has more contact with. The third stage up to aged two named the secure base, where the child has its focus on the where the main caregiver is when their welfare is under threat. The stage up over the age of two is concerned on the child learning a behaviour and how this affects the relationship with their mothers or attachments, this will be the grounding for subsequent relationships

By definition, “attachment is the emotional bond between an infant and the primary caregiver (Romero; Perry).” During the first eight months of life, an infant will typically form an emotional attachment to a caregiver. The kind of attachment is based on the nurture and care the infant receives. The type of attachment between an infant and a caregiver can help determine the child’s personality and development (Romero).

According to Berger she says that infants show their attachment through proximity seeking and through contact maintaining. There are many different signs of attachment that you can notice in a child, in the article “Attachment disorders in early childhood” by Charles H. Zeanah and Mary Gleason (2015), has research on disorders of attachment in young children. In early childhood, attachment disorders do result from deficient caregiving environments and stumbles upon two types of clinical patterns that I will be talking about. The first one is emotionally withdrawn inhabited phenotype and which is

Attachment is what will prepare my child to survive in the real world. Pre-Attachment Phase is the first phase from birth to 3 months old. These are when the babies are the most vulnerable and need us the most. My favorite things with infants are the big smiles are on their chunky cheeks or the angel faces when they are sleeping. I will show them bright colors to enhance their visual development. When I smile and tickle their toes I want to see them grin from ear to ear. The second phase is known as Attachment in the Making, which is from 4 to 7 months old. I will spend much time as I can in the play pen. Toys and sounds are essential at this point. I can then teach them to share toys and not need me all the time. It is very important I have

Attachments are formed in the very earliest months and years of life. These have a significant influence on emotional development as well as providing a template for the child as he or she grows into adulthood.

Attachments are intrinsic to a child’s development both in the short term and for the duration of their lives. Infants have an innate need to develop an attachment with their mother to ensure their survival and are equipped with evolutionary characteristics called social releasers; physical social releasers such as large eyes and a small chin are found to be more aesthetically pleasing to the parents so they are more likely to care for them and behavioural social releasers for example, crying; very young infants typically only cry if they 're hungry, cold or in pain (Gross 2015 p535) this alerts the parents to an infants immediate need. At around 7 or 8 months of age children begin to make specific attachments for reasons other than survival, children display proximity maintaining behaviour normally with the mother,

There are a number of influences that contribute to the formation of attachments and the differences among individuals. One influence on attachment is the amount of time a caregiver spends with an infant. The amount of time can be affected by the age, health, and social status of the mother. For example, a younger, teenage mother, may return to school in order to complete their education. Returning to school can preoccupy a mother and create a disconnect when an infant’s distress and behaviors are not attended to or ignored. Another example of how the amount of time spent with an infant can be affected is a single-mother or a mother who returns to work within the sensitive time of an infant’s development. Similar to the younger mother example,

In the first few months of life, the sole purpose of any child’s behaviour is to survive. This, more often than not, results in actions that reduce the risk of harm and increase the chances of longevity. Of these behaviours, some argue that the most influential is attachment behaviour. “Attachment behaviour is any form of behaviour that results in a person attaining or maintaining proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world”(Bowlby, 1982). Therefore, children will make an effort to stay close to and under the protection of their primary caregiver. According to Webster, “through interactions with their primary caregiver, the child develops expectations and understandings about the workings of relationships. These mental representations of relationships become internalized to the degree that they influence feelings, thought and behaviour automatically and unconsciously” (1999, p.6). Moreover, the response of the identified individual plays a huge role in the child’s perception of the outside world. If the caregiver responds to the child’s needs in a caring and protective manner, the child will feel safe and comfortable in his or her surroundings. If, on the other hand, the caregiver is often emotionally and/or physically unavailable, the child is likely to