Secure Attachments In Childhood With Caregiver

' (Haith, 2014b, p. 466) Although a secure attachment does not occur from birth, ‘babies show signs of attachment through smiling, eye contact and crying. ' (Brandon et al., 2015) This shows the child 's main caregiver needs to begin to bond with their child for them to form a secure attachment. Bowlby believed ‘caregivers who neglect their children, bring up avoidant children. ' (Larose, & Bernier, 2001, p. 96-120). ‘Ambivalent/resistant children show negative behaviours to gain attention from others. ' (Kobak et al., 1993, p. 231-245) These statements show children who have an insecure attachment with their caregiver have a risk in behaviour problems. They will also have a less chance of developing their social and emotional skills effectively.

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.

Although secure attachment during infancy is the foundation for continued healthy positive development during the lifespan, it is important to understand that other factors can have a significant effect on development later in life (i.e. illness, loss, and trauma). However, research has shown the importance of consistent care giving that is responsive and nurturing and the caregivers’ ability to effectively accommodate more difficult temperament characteristics ,as well as other factors, influence the development of healthy attachment{{64 Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian 2003}}. Research has also shown that infancy and early childhood is the period of development where scaffolding begins and continues (Vygotsky, 1978; Zhao & Orey,1999).

Attachment starts to develop since the women’s pregnancy, during this stage of human development the female starts to cultivate emotional attachment to the fetus. The method in which attachment is formed during gestation will eventually affect or enhance the child stance during pregnancy or even after birth. Attachment can be defined as the manner in which an infant creates an emotional connection between specific members. Attachment can be clearly detected, especially with the persons who are closer to the infant. In the article “Attachment Issues”, states the definition of attachment by theorist John Bowlby, and how attachment is constructed “Is not a one-time event, but a process that begins during birth and progress into the early

Lehmann and Coady (2001) state that attachment theory adheres to the notion that mental health issues come from detrimental early childhood caregiver relationships. Lehmann and Coady (2001) further state that this can include a breakdown in relationships that fail to give a child emotional security, comfort and protection. Lehmann and Coady (2001) reiterate that this can also include bad reactions with caretakers that are inconsistent, unreliable, insensitive and abusive. This theory is critical in a rural social work setting as it pertains to trauma.

Attachment theory proposes that the way infants and children form bonds with their primary caregiver have lifelong implications as to how they may form bonds with others, including their own children. This bonding is created through affectionate gestures, the ability to rely on the caregiver’s availability and willingness to fulfill the needs of the child, and the general feeling of safety when in the proximity of the caregiver. While the attachments begin as an infant they are malleable throughout life, and easier to form or transform the younger a person is (Strengths-Based Generalist Practice A Collaborative Approach, Poulin, 2010, pp. 580-581).Victoria was in foster care from birth and had not received the ideal responses required of her caregiver. In the case of Victoria she was relocated from placement to placement often, and experienced a variety of abuses and neglect, these characteristics are indicative of someone with an avoidant attachment style. Attachments may become avoidant resulting in the child’s reluctance to put themselves in a position to be forsaken repeatedly by the unapproachability of the caregiver (Dimensions of Human Behavior Person and Environment, Hutchison, 2015, p. 150). Victoria exemplifies this repeatedly throughout the book in the fact that she refuses to rely on any caregiver, in the specific case of her placement with Elizabeth she refuses to believe that there would be any permanency. “I did not believe there to be even the

2. The secure attachment will provide a railing guidance on how the child will act in the future and how will be the relationship between the child and the parent. Sometimes parents don’t realize how significant their attachment to the child is. Children who didn’t have a secure attachment with their parents tend to feel “anxious and have tantrums when present with problem”(Brooks, p.86) because they are missing the sense of security and protection that secure attachment bring to the infant.

With different characteristics it is best to have a secure child. At the beginning Bowbly (1969) ties it to a biological base origin and this has further given researchers to further study this parent-child relationship, he believes that the attachment between a child and the caregiver creates a lasting impact over the entire lifetime of both parties. Attachment theory does not only focus on the relationship of the parent to child, but looks at it a dependence on each other, it emphasizes on the emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral components that ultimately reflects developmental changes over a long period of time (Howe 2006). The main point of this theory is that if the primary caregiver is dependable, it helps the child build a sense of security, because the child knows that the care giver is reliable so the child is more open to explore the world. From the beginning at infancy, people around influence how the child behaves, it is an indicator of how other future relationships the child encounters will grow. It is said that in the first year, the most important development is the creation of an attachment bond between a mother and the infant (McConnell & Moss, 2011). It is at this stage that the mother responds to the infants actions like crying or ache, if the attachment figure in this case maybe the mother, acts swiftly and promptly, the child feels safe and protected but if the caregiver does not respond appropriately, then the

Secure attachment can support the child in developing and reaching their milestones in terms of their positive behaviour adjustment to adulthood, emotional, cognitive and biological development. (Granot and Mayseless, 2001).This can be difficult for mothers if there experiencing symptoms of PND which in turns leads to insecure attachments. Insecure attachment can lead to biochemical consequences in the developing brain and also social and emotional problems for the child (Levy and Orlans, 2014). Lack of love and security due to high level stress hormone can result in babies having impaired of body and brain (Van der Kolk, 2003). This highlights the importance role attachment plays in childhood development.

Parental care can often shape kid’s identity through attachment style, which is pattern of caregiving that teach them who yourself and others are and how to approach relationships (Wood, 2016, p51). The first attachment style is a secure attachment style. The key to the style is the consistent attention that the caregiver gives to the child and helping the child to build a positive sense of self image and others. The second style is the fearful attachment style. It occurs when the caregiver communicates negatively, sometimes even abusive, to the child. Children treated in this way often infer that they are unlovable and end up rejecting others. Third type of the attachment style is dismissive attachment style. The main difference between the

In comparing, Allan and Bacon (2010) provide helpful information on bonding and attachment, which resembles that of object relations, and attachment style. Although the authors refer to bonding and attachment as it relates to child abuse and neglect, the information provides insight to the importance of parents’ involvement and child’s development (Alan & Bacon, 2010). As a result, this enables the child to replicate this attachment with others in their lives, as they go on to forge new relationships however; when the child is inconsistently parented within the family of origin during developmental, or the child is abused and neglected, healthy attachment is impacted, which creates not only the child’s inability to bond with others, but

While there are subtle similarities between the school-age system and the infancy and preschool systems, as attachment.This is consistent with Crittenden (1997) claims that attachments can be viewed as interpersonal defence mechanisms designed to activate protection from emotionally compromised care-givers, but often it at the expense of

Also, interviewing the parents will be as important as interviewing the children. Through the parents a Social Worker is able to understand a portion of the child behaviors. Them, interview the parents a children together to explore their level of attachment. In the book Child Development by D. Davis mentions; “Parents with working models derived from histories of secure attachment are responsive to their children, who in turn tend to develop secure attachments and positive working models. In contrast, parents who dismiss the importance of attachment are likely to dismiss their children’s needs for comforting and nurturance. When these negative attitudes carry over into

Separation from the specific caregiver results in protests and anxiety when placed around strangers, a phenomenon Immordino-Yang and Damasio (2011) refered to as separation anxiety and stranger anxiety respectively. In the multiple attachments stage, just after nine months, children start forming emotional bonds beyond the primary figure they were previously attached to. Typically, such bonds are formed with the father, grandparents and older siblings. It is also imperative for parents and caregivers to understand that the process may appear straightforward but, however, there are numerous influencing factors of when and how attachments will develop. The opportunity for attachment is one of the factors. For example, children raised in orphanages lack a principal care figure and as such may not develop the necessary sense of trust to establish an attachment (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2011). Another factor is the quality of giving care. When children’s needs are responded to promptly and consistently, they learn that they can rely on the caregivers charged with the responsibility of caring for them. According to Immordino-Yang and Damasio (2011), such dependability is a vital base for attachment. Parents must understand that separation from a securely attached caregiver is a source of distress for children and they (children) need assurance that

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