Discuss the evidence that attachment relationships in early childhood can have positive and negative consequences. Attachment is described as an "affectionate reciprocal relationship between an individual and another individual." Much psychological research has been carried out into the types of attachments that infants form with their caregivers, and the results gained from these studies show how early attachments can affect children whether positively or negatively. Some psychologists claim that the ability to attach to the caregiver is innate in babies. Bowlby said that babies are born with an innate tendency to create strong emotional bonds with their caregivers'. This is mainly for survival because the caregiver provides …show more content…
Despite work that has criticised this, mothers today still are kept together with their baby directly after birth. Klaus and Kennell's research would suggest that early attachment does have positive consequences. However, research is not conclusive in deciding whether attachments do form in this critical period' or not. Research has also been carried out which has looked into whether or not bad attachment styles can result in negative consequences. Many studies have looked at the effects of separation of babies from their mothers. It is claimed by psychologists that depriving a baby from being with its mother will have negative consequences later on in life. Bowlby (1953) looked into the effects of deprivation on children and came up with the Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis. He believed that if an infant couldn't develop a "warm, intimate and continuous relationship" with its mother, or substitute mother, then it would have problems with behaviour and forming relationships later in life. Bowlby conducted a study which aimed to find any causes for children to have behavioural problems. His 44 thieves study in 1944, involved looking at 88 children from a guidance clinic. Half of the children were there because they were emotionally maladjusted. The other half were thieves and did not feel guilt for the crimes they had
The importance of a healthy attachment in early childhood development can lead to a better adult development and skills for daily life. A secure and healthy attachment to the caregiver in infancy to adolescence showcases the importance of building strong relationships and coping skills during periods of stress and anxiety. The research that has been found, goes into detail about the different types of attachments that infants and children can develop as well as what negative and positive aspects come along with the attachments.
Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)
John Bowlby’s work in attachment has been one of the foundational works when determining the level of attachments 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 or children 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 have a great influence on their children’s lives.
Over the years research has shown that attachment is critical to human development, and that in many ways early childhood attachments set up a framework for intimate relationships in adulthood. As they begin to develop an attachment with their caregivers infants go through several phases. The first phase is the asocial phase, which occurs during the first six weeks of an infant's life (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014). The second phase is the phase of indiscriminate attachments, which lasts until the infant is six or seven months old (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014). When infants are about seven to nine months of age they are go through what is called the specific attachment phase (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014). It is during this time that infants establish their initial genuine attachments (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014). The development of a secure attachment during this time is critical for, "… it promotes the development of exploratory behavior" (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014). Finally, during the phase of multiple attachments, in which infants are about nine to eighteen months old, they begin to develop attachments to multiple people (Shaffer & Kipp, 2014).
Attachment relationships develop gradually from the time of birth and for the first 2 years of the infant’s life.
Early attachments of children to their caregivers are a widely studied subject among psychologists. Childhood attachment theories draw their theses and components from cognitive, behavioral, and psychoanalytic branches of psychology; in the form that attachments deals with what a child is thinking, doing, and the analyses of these attachments in later life (Weiten, 2005). "Attachment refers to the close, emotional bonds of affection that develop between infants and their caregivers." (Weiten, 2005) The age that attachments start forming is usually between 6 to 9 months, depending on the child; prior to this, a child can be handed off to babysitters with little protest, but after attachments begin forming children may develop separation anxiety (Weiten, 2005, Wicks-Nelson & Israel, 2009).
Attachment serves the purpose of promoting closeness between infants with their adult caregivers who are responsible for comforting, nurturing and protecting them (Breidensteine, Bailey, Zeanah & Larrieu, 2011). Bowlby (1958) developed attachment theory to explain young children’s behaviours in ethological terms, positing that infants have developed an adaptive system directed towards their adult caregivers to elicit attention and care (Del Giudice, 2009). These biological driven behaviours, such as crying or clinging to a recognised and consistent caregiver
Attachment is a bond between a child and it 's primary carer. The infant will want to stay close to the adult and want to be cared by them. Children with strong attachments cry less when separated. They engage in more pretend play and sustain attention for longer. They are less aggressive and are popular with other children and adults. Their sense of who they are is strong. Children need to be safe in the relationship they have with their main carers. They are vulnerable but will develop resilience when their physical and psychological well-being is protected by an adult. Being emotionally attached to an adult helps the children feel secure that the person they depend on is there for them. When children feel safe they are more inclined to try things out and be more independent. They are confident to express their ideas and feelings and feel good about themselves. Attachment influences and child 's immediate all-round development and
Attachment is a key developmental goal in early childhood, and refers to the evolutionary drive for a young child to maintain proximity with a caregiver for the purposes of safety, protection, and regulation. Once attachments have been formed, the child can use the caregiver as a secure base to explore the environment and as a source of support and comfort when distressed. Young children begin to develop attachments with caregivers at a cognitive age of about 7 to 9 months; at this time the child will begin to show a preference for the attached person and may begin to object to being separated or show wariness with other, less familiar adults.
Unlike in adults where attachment bonds may be reciprocal in characteristics, the bond between infants and the caregiver is mainly based the child's need for security, care, and protection. There is a chronological way in which attachment bonds develop and manifest themselves in a child as the child advances in age. In the first six months of a child life, pre-attachment behaviours and trends are observed in a child. In this phase, the infant cries and smiles to attract the attention of potential caregivers who they have not yet been able to discriminate or rank. In this stage, anyone in the vicinity is a potential caregiver for the child. The second phase of a child attachment development occurs between the ages of two months to the age of six months. In this phase, the child develops a discriminative instinct, and he or she is able to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar adults. The child response toward the caregivers increased at this stage and added behaviour of clinging and following are developed in the child (Cassidy & Shaver,
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.
The two most common theories are John Bowlby’s theory of attachment and Mary Ainsworth’s styles of attachment theory. John Bowlby’s theory of attachment suggests that infants are genetically pre-programmed to develop strong attachments to those that show care and responsiveness to their needs. This was proposed after a series of experiments involving mother-infant
The first relationships we form with our caregivers forms a pathway in which we continue to follow in future social interactions as we get older. This initial emotional bond, whether secure, insecure or ambivalent, typical is formed with our mom and dad, is known as attachment. John Bowlby, presented his theory regarding the stages in attachment development in 1969. In the primary stage of preattachment, beginning from birth to around six weeks of age, occurs when newborns develop sensory preferences that allow them to form connections with the primary caregiver, typically the mother. In the second stage, attachment in the making, infants develop a form of stranger anxiety and can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces.
From the moment a child is born, it craves the contact of its mother and those bonds form almost instantly. Why those bonds are necessary to life as we know it are so ancient and innate in society, they are hardly questioned. However, what are the real psychological reasons behind the strong emotional attachment and bonding that takes place between a baby and a caretaker? Each psychological perspective has a different focus, and this focus then brings about seven different theories as to why this attachment takes place.
Attachment theory is a concept that explores the importance of attachment in respect to direct development. “It is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space” (Bowlby, 1969; McLeod, 2009). It is the relationship that develops within the first year of the infant’s life between them and their caregiver. The theory also relates to the quality of the attachment that is shown in the behavior of the infant (Rieser-Danner, 2016). Attachment theory shows that infants need a close nurturing relationship with their caregiver in order to have a healthy relationship. Lack of response from the caregiver