Bonding : Maternal Infant Attachment And The Maternal Role Attainment Theory

Theory can be defined as the explanation of an event in which constructs and concepts are identified, relationships are proposed and predictions are made; it is a set of interpretative assumptions, principals or propositions that help explain or guide action. (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p521) Concepts occur in three steps; originating as a thought which are abstract or concrete in nature, progressing to a stage in which words and meaning are given to the concept, and lastly it is operationalized becoming a variable to be used tested during research. (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p50) According to McEwen, & Wills, (2014), a concept analysis identifies, clarifies and explores the meaning of concepts in order to promote understanding which aids in the development of conceptual frameworks, theories and research studies. (p55) Concepts relative to nursing include quality of life, blood pressure, hope, job satisfaction and pain.

Concepts are essential elements in theories which provide ideas for research in nursing. Concepts give knowledge that can be applied to nursing practice, education and administration. (Parker & Smith 2010). Concept analysis brings about clarity. The methods of concept analysis have the following steps. Select the concepts, determine the purpose of the anaysis, identify all uses, define attributes, a model case of the concept, consequences of the concept, and define empirical references of the concept (Walker & Avant 1995)

The root of the mother-infant relationship as well as a child's development can be linked to John Bowlby's theory of attachment. Bowlby, a British psychoanalyst, developed the theory after running a study in which he attempted to understand the intense distress experienced by infants who had

It also involves social context and behavior. At around 12 months the Attachment relationships are by insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant types. Disorganized attachment is where the parent seems to be disconnected and dissociated with the infant. Parenting style and behavior tend to interfere with the children’s formation of attachment. Parental intrusiveness is a no contingent, verbal directives or physical behaviors in parents that constrain the children’s activities and behavior. In this study parents believed that discipline and control and child temperament had no significant correlation now were they correlated with attachment disorganization. Child gender did significantly show a higher disorganization for boys than girls negative intrusive parenting at age 6 months, parental belief in discipline and control at age 6 months, and child difficult temperament at age 6 months. Overall, Negative intrusive parenting did have an impact on attachment disorganization and children temperament. Negative intrusive parenting style can lead to provoke fear in young children which then reflects to the children being disorganized attachment as early as 6 months. Parenting style has a large effect on the child’s attachment and temperament as they grow older. Parenting strong belief in discipline and control could lead to a long term consolidate and stabilize negative

Attachment is an emotional bond to another person. Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as a "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings" (Bowlby, 1969, p. 194). Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have a tremendous impact that continues throughout life. According to Bowlby, attachment also serves to keep the infant close to the mother, thus improving the child's chances of survival.

The essence of the relationship between a mother and child is a mutual ascendency in regards to identity. Children are subject to an instinctive longing for a mother. It is the mother’s influence that guides them in their process of discovering all the realities the world posses and in that processing discerning their identity. Conversely when a woman becomes a mother the presence of her child causes her to evaluate and develop her identity under the pretense of motherhood. Paula Nicolson touches on the value of both these scenarios in her article “Motherhood and Women’s Lives” where she expresses how the mother child relationship gives the pretense for both parties to find their authentic identities (Nicolson). Sue Monk Kidd evaluates the

The relationship between mother and infant is extraordinary. A lot of research has been done to test the social stresses on dyadic synchrony on mothers and infants as well as toddlers and pre-teens. This article extends on previous research on FFSF exposures by observing not only the social interactions of the mother and infant from face-face interactions but also by still face pictures. Also, assessing the infant’s interactive style, the mother’s behavior and dyadic synchrony in observing the responses to the two FFSF exposures 15 minutes apart. This research is relevant to the neuro field, and how the development of an infant’s brain do to social stress.

The concept should be clear and distinct, unambiguously defined and well differentiated from other concepts, and should be applicable to the world and appropriate in context. Concept analysis is applied for the refinement and definition of concepts originating from nursing practice, nursing research and nursing theory (Maputle & Donavon, 2013), which helps to differentiate between similar and dissimilar concepts. Walker and Avant assert that concept analysis and development are fundamental processes required by nurse researchers who are attempting to measure the metaphysical phenomena of nursing, or in this study the midwifery practice.

First addressing the idea of motherhood, Johnson argues that all three of the books critique the notions about and the concept of parenthood. with Friday’s book and Dinnerstein’s book, respectively, analyzing the “damaging effects of the fact that human infants are cared for exclusively by women” (Johnson), and arguing that having a mother who cannot reconcile with herself leads a daughter to being

When exploring a mother and infants relationship closely it is evident that there are many layers to their relationship from attachment to parental sensitivity. Through the form of observations, information has been gathered to look in-depth at the mother-infant relationship. There are many layers in a mother-infant relationship and this essay will explore five concepts: emotional availability, internal working model, infant’s attachment, circle of security and developmental milestones. In light of this it’s important to look at the background of the family dynamic including the mother, father and infant as well as close family members including grandparents. The infant in which the observations are based on is currently 8 and half months old. The mother currently is studying full time and is also a mother to 3 older children ranging from 25 to 16. They reside in a small local town in the Wimmera region and the mother has been in the same town for 20 years and the father visits on a regular basis. Both the mother parents live only thirty kilometres away and the father has one living parent his mother who lives over 50 kilometres away. Both mother and father are in the late thirties early forties range and the father works full time as a painter.

Motherhood holds an important place in many human societies, since it is our children who will surpass us and take on the future. Raising them to be able to face the world is often a role that falls to mothers, making the social constructs surrounding motherhood a hot topic in many different forms of media. Fairy

The concept of infant-mother attachment is as important to the child as the birth itself. The effect this relationship has on a child shall affect that child for its entire life. A secure attachment to the mother or a primary caregiver is imperative for a child’s development. Ainsworth’s study shows that a mother is responsive to her infant’s behavioral cues which will develop into a strong infant-mother attachment. This will result in a child who can easily, without stress, be separated from his mother and without any anxiety. Of course the study shows a child with a weak infant-mother relationship will lead to mistrust, anxiety, and will never really be that close with the mother. Without the

I believe the author followed anthropological theory and methods in her book. The author discussed the culture and the traditions of mother and their connection to their infants. Mothers and infants are physiologically interconnected from conception to the termination of breastfeeding (Rodolefsky, Brown, & Lacy, 2012).

Motherhood as a social construct in general: Since the beginning of time, motherhood has been seen as synonymous with womanhood and the female experience. The female body has set out women’s role as one of child-rearing and constricted them to a biologically defined role. It is only recently that researchers have explored the notion that motherhood is a social construct and varies according to various agents of socialisation such as media, religion, peers and culture. Motherhood has often been seen as something biological and inherent to being a mother, while this is true in part motherhood is largely a social construct and perceptions vary due to an individual’s socialisation. In order to research this further I believed it was important to analyse expert opinions on this issue through by secondary research. A source that stood out to me was Invisible Mothers: A Content Analysis of Motherhood Ideologies and Myths in Magazines which argued that ‘To explore ideologies of motherhood, it is useful to recognize that motherhood is not biologically determined or socially ascribed. Motherhood is a social and historical construction’ (Johnston, Swanson 2003). The social construction of

Experimental data suggest that the past experiences of the mother are a major determinant in molding her care-giving role. Children use adults, especially loved and powerful adults, as models for their own behaviour. Children development literature, states that the powerful process of imitation or modelling socially inclines children. Kennell and Klaus explain that unless adults consciously and painstakingly reexamine these learned behaviours, they will unconsciously repeat them when they become parents (Kennell and Klaus 11). Thus the way a woman was raised, which includes the practices of her culture and the individual idiosyncrasies of her own mother's child raising practices greatly influences her behaviour toward her own infant. Bob Brazelton in The Early Mother-Infant Adjustment says that, "It may seem to many that attachment to a small baby will come naturally and to make too much of it could be a mistake... but there are many, many women who have a difficult time making this adjustment...(Brazelton 10). He points out that we must understand the ingredients of attachment in order to help, because each mother-child dyad is unique and has individual needs of it's own (Brazelton 12).