Bandura 's Social Learning Theory And Attachment Theory

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.

Bartholemew and Horowitz (1991) described a model of attachment in which the child’s image of the self and others are the most important roles. The four categories in this model are secure attachment in which the child has a sense of worthiness and that others are accepting (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Preoccupied attachment describes a feeling of unworthiness but with positive feelings towards others, fearful attachment combines unworthiness with a negative feeling towards others (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Dismissing attachment describes a feeling of worthiness with negative feeling towards others (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Pignotti (2011) explored the effects that early institutional care has on kids that are later adopted and their risk of RAD. Kemph & Voeller (2007) describe how RAD is seen to occur because of poor nurturing from the mother as well as several other prenatal factors. Minnis, Green, O’Conner, Liew, Glaser, Taylor, & Sadiq (2009) compare RAD with insecure attachment patterns and find that RAD is not the same as attachment insecurity, especially because it occurs early on. Other studies have tried to go further and study RAD and possible biological mechanisms that cause it. Kočovská, Wilson, Young, Wallace, Gorski, Follan, & Minnis (2013) studied the effects of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and cortisol

These factors lead way for the continuum of abuse and neglect being passed on through family generations. Parents who were raised in an abusive household were commonly associated with abusing or neglecting their own children out of commonality and pattern related to what they knew as a child (Dixon, Browne, and Hamilton-Giachritsis 2005). “Straus (1980) not only found support for the hypothesis that ‘violence begets violence,’ but they also provide data which demonstrate that the grater the frequency of violence, the greater the chance that the victim will grow up to be a violent partner or parent” (Gelles 1980).

This shift in thought suggested that human beings are biologically wired for connection because attachment to others improves our chances for survival and reproductive success. This theory of attachment also introduced a new explanation for pathology: not necessarily “bad mothers,” as Bowlby suggested – but, rather, unavailable caregivers. (Ein-Dor, Reizer, Shaver, & Dotan, 2012) Within this theoretical framework there are essentially two modes of attachment: secure and insecure. Of the two, insecure attachment has long been viewed as a contributing factor to a host of maladaptive behaviors, disorders, and cognitions (Ein-Dor & Doron, 2015). It is seen, historically, as something that needs repair. However, new literature is shedding light on an alternative interpretation of insecure attachment. This new interpretation suggests that insecure attachment can have adaptive qualities. This new theory falls under the moniker of social defense theory. This study seeks to further the empirical support for social defense theory by hypothesizing that insecure attachment has adaptive qualities that may be beneficial to group, as well as individual,

Mary Ainsworth classified patterns of attachment into four categories: secure, insecure-resistant, insecure-avoidant, and insecure- disorganized/disoriented. Each category describes an infant’s reaction to their mother reentering after having been absent from the room (Perry, 2001). By classifying attachment psychologist are better able to understand the immediate effects parenting styles have on infants. Also the possible implications on behaviors that persist into adulthood because, “these patterns of attachment become the “rules”, templates schemas, for relating that operate lifelong” (). Individuals with insecure attachments cannot form and maintain relationships as easy as others. They are weary of trusting adults and exhibit-increased aggression (Perry, 2001). Neglected children with attachment problems can experience a multitude of neurological consequences, including developmental delays. “A lack of consistent and enriched experiences in early childhood can result in delays in motor, language, social, and cognitive development” (Perry, 2001). For example, neglect can prevent children from obtaining the skills necessary to succeed in school, which then affects their ability to excel in a competitive job market. Abuse experienced at an early age, can affect individuals’ behavior well into their adulthood lives, which can then effect their parenting

Domestic Violence is a very important issue to look at for people in the relationships as well for the children. When children see certain behaviors, they see it as “normal” even though it may not be normal to other people who did not grow up in an abusive home. The theory that can be used for children who have been in a domestic violence situation is social learning theory. The social learning theory was discovered by Albert Bandura in 1977 (McLeod, 2011). Albert Bandura corresponds with the behaviorist learning theories of classical and operant conditioning (McLeod, 2011). “However, he adds two important ideas: mediating processes occur between stimuli and responses and behavior is learned from the environment through the process of observational

The concept of attachment was first introduced by John Bowlby (1969), who emphasizes the importance of mother-child relationship when he was studying children who had been separated from their mothers. Attachment is the close, enduring emotional bond to parents or other caregivers, and it is necessary for normal social and emotional development. Mary Ainsworth expanded Bowlby’s attachment theory by devising the “Strange Situation” method to observe children’ behavior during episodes of repeated separation and reunion with their caregivers, and categorized into three distinct patterns of attachment: secure, avoidant, and resistant. A fourth attachment style, known as disorganized, was later proposed by Main and Solomon (1990). Despite the growing literature on attachment theory, a great number of questions about attachment theory remain unanswered. Ethical issues, limitations, and questions of early attachment studies, as well as future directions in attachment theory research, are discussed.

Bowbly (1973) referred that the attachment system to be in relation to brain development, this is normally shaped by early caregiver experiences. Babies develop a secure attachment if they have been brought up with caregivers who are responsive and sensitive to their needs, who are reliable, constant and non- hostile to the child’s responses. These experiences give children the ability to build internal models of relationships, which will then influence the degree to how they see themselves to be loveable, and to the degree, which they perceive others being supportive, dependable and also non-threatening towards them. However, when children experience unresponsiveness from their caregivers this can develop into insecure attachment. Insecure attachment is more than likely to happen when parents are neglectful.

Attachment theory is the joint work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991). It states that the caregiver-infant exchange is the foundation for all self-regulatory capacities. The physiological regulation occurs when caregiver-infant exchanges are marked by congruency and attunement (Schore, 2003). Infants with secure attachment experienced this attuned and congruent response by their caregiver, thus appropriately expanding their coping strategies for managing distress in the service of regulation (Padykula, 2010). In other words, Attachment Theory says that when an infant does not get the needed attention and predictable care from their caregiver, their ability to regulate themselves is severely effected. In human behavior specifically, Bowlby (1969) identified goal-directed behaviors as links within a chain. Each act sent stimuli terminating its unique goal while activating the next link. This stimuli was either external or intrapsychic. Attachment Trauma is when the caregiver is not emotionally attuned, and instead of being a regulating force, extreme levels of stimulation and arousal are induced. This results in very high stimulation in abuse, and/or very low stimulation in neglect (Padykula,

In the case a early childhood trauma, attachment may also play a significant role in conduct disorder related symptomology. Related to attachment style, Barnett, Ganiban, and Cicchetti (1999) found that insecure-disorganized/disoriented (Type D attachment) had a significant impact on children’s negative expressivity over time (p. 97). Specifically, researchers have found that “children with Type D attachment have been found to be more likely than children with other patterns of attachment to have caregivers with unresolved loss or trauma (Barnett, Ganiban, & Cicchetti, 1999; Copping et al., 2001). Taking this attachment perspective into consideration, it can be argued that disorganized attachment styles, stemming from their parent’s own loss or trauma has an effect on behavior. This also appears to trigger a biological response from the child. Specifically, researchers have found that acute traumatic experiences trigger a child’s “heart rate and salivary cortisol responses to the Strange Situation compared to infants with secure attachments” (Barnett, Ganiban, & Cicchetti, 1999). It can be theorized in this case that the biological response seen with these children is also an acute behavioral response that may have resulted from instances of traumatic events. Effectively, these children appear to have a stress response to the Strange Situation dilemma that stems from previous traumatic

The issue of attachment is one that influences an individual throughout their life, affecting many aspects of their development. It is first formed during infancy between the child and their primary care giver and is maintained over the course of their lifespan. The level of attachment that is formed during infancy creates a foundation for psychological development in the course of the individual’s life (Santrock, 2013). Attachment security can be an indication of the quality of an individual’s future relationships, as well as challenges that may arise from such interactions. The following will discuss the attachment theory, biological influences of attachment, factors that contribute to the type of attachment formed during infancy and early childhood, and its impact and complications throughout each stage of development from infancy through late adulthood.

Every year millions of children are abused and neglected worldwide. Child abuse is a global concern. It has severe outcomes on the children who are victims, and often the effects are long-lasting. Child abuse is a highly under-reported crime although of those reported, neglect accounts for the majority of child abuse cases (Pala, Ünalacak, & Ünlüoğlu, 2011). Neglect in children often has more dire consequences than other types of child abuse (DePanfilis, Children’s Bureau, & Office on Child Abuse & Neglect, 2006). One consequence especially prevalent in neglected children is insecure or lack of attachment to a primary caregiver. John Bowlby’s research has shown the evolutionary importance of infant attachments, further research shows that

Social effects of child physical abuse largely influence the life of the child. Gluck highlights the fact that child abuse victims have a more difficult time forming appropriate and long-term friendships. This is due in part to the effect on the child that causes them to struggle trusting others in basic terms. It is also noted that children who have suffered more long-term abuse often have difficulty with basic social skills and struggle to communicate like their non-abused counterparts. Interestingly, Gluck notes that children that have been abused often use aggression for solving issues in their personal lives. In fact, these social effects transfer into the child’s adult life as well. Victims of child abuse are also noted to be more likely to be a part of drug and alcohol use and addiction, and are also more likely to physically abuse their own

It has been noted the vital role that mothers play in a child’s healthy development. Therefore if mothers are abused research done by Sandra A. Graham-Bermann, Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Family Violence Research Program, has shown that “Children who were exposed to parental violence had many more behavioral problems, exhibited significantly more negative affect, responded less appropriately to situations, were more aggressive with peers, and had more ambivalent relationships with their caregivers than those from nonviolent families.” (Graham-Bermann, S. A., & Levendosky, A. A., 1998). Another factor that can play a negative role in a child’s development is that parents may hold unreasonable expectations from their children due to how they themselves were brought up. Seymour Rosenberg a head of the department of Psychology at The State University of New Jersey helped their study come to the conclusion that “It has also been shown that abusive parents often have unrealistic expectations for their children-expectations based on distorted perceptions of their children's needs, feelings, and abilities” (Herzog, E. P., Gara, M. A., & Rosenberg, S., 1992). Due to this it can cause the child to grow up confused and scared which may lead them to use the same maltreatment towards their kids which will only further the intergenerational abuse. However, Research has also shown that

There was one limitation within the Font and Berger (2015) research that should have been considered when considering the results of the study. I believe that there may be other important aspects of parenting behaviors and practices, such as parent attachment styles, that were not considered throughout the study. The parent’s play a major role within the child’s maltreatment and if the parenting style was considered frequently throughout the child’s development more evidence could be provided for answers of when maltreatment or abuse would occur, along with how severe the situation or maltreatment is throughout the child’s development. Childhood development begins and starts with how they create relationships with other caregivers and people