Summary: Cultural Insecure Attachment

Due to the fact that the ways that people bring up their children can be very different all over the world as we share different attitudes, values and beliefs etc. People emphasize on developing distinct skills and qualities, so attachments formed can be different. For instance, countries like America and Germany would value personal independence and achievement more, whereas interdependence between people is valued more in China. The two cultures mentioned are called individualistic culture and collectivist culture respectively.

Bowlby’s attachment theory, as well as Erikson’s psychosocial theory, indicates that a child’s overall development is dependent on the care that they receive from their caregiver, more specifically their mother. Meeting the needs of the child and providing a

Similar to physical and socio-emotional development, cognitive development is increased with a secure attachment between the parent and child (E, 806). Increasing importance is being associated with the “mothers’ verbal responsiveness, which are important for the emergent language and cognitive skills” (Increase in maternal Education, 3). According to a recent study from Arizona State University, researchers concluded infants with an insecure attachment were less “focused during storybook interactions” and therefore experienced less stimulation as the secure mother/child dyad. (F,445).

They are also more likely to have inadequate social skills, more hostile behavior, and trouble following the rules. Research suggests this occurs because children are stressed from the long hours, and because of the low quality of the daycare. (Berk, 2012) An important factor in preventing insecure attachment is attending a high quality daycare and good communication between the family and the daycare. Family circumstances play a huge role in attachment security. Parents must find a good balance between children, work, and stress to ensure their child has a healthy attachment. Families with excessive stress are more prone to attachment insecurity. Exposure to an insensitive or uncaring environment at home and in a daycare setting magnifies the chances of having an insecure attachment. (Berk, 2012) Children may have emotional issues when there is no attachment to one or more adults. Neglect and child abuse both contribute to insecure attachment. (Berk, 2012)

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).

The majority of developmental theories say that children must develop a secure primary attachment in order to develop in a healthy manner. A secure and strong attachment is clearly essential for healthy future relationships. John Bowlby’s studies in childhood development led him to the conclusion that a strong attachment to a caregiver provides a necessary sense of security and foundation. Without such a relationship in place, Bowlby found that a great deal of developmental energy is expended in the search for stability and security. In general, those without such attachments are fearful and are less willing to seek out and learn from new

If the infants weren’t as distressed, many more (possibly more than 80%) would have been classified as securely attached. This causes not just one cross-cultural variation. The findings suggest that there were actually two cross cultural variations. The first being the way in which the infants responded to separation and being left alone.

Keller (2013) argued that most studies of attachment are solely based on the perspective of evolutionary psychology, but ignored the significance of cultural and contextual variabilities among different cultures. Attachment is indeed related to adoption, but both the mother and child’s response can be culturally determined, and these behaviours must be analyzed in their specific contexts.

Securely attached infants have a good quality of relationship with their parents. In the strange situation, where parents leave their child alone or with a stranger in a room full of toys, these children are upset when their parents leave, but easily comforted when they return. The child uses the parent as a “secure base” from which to explore the environment. In the strange situation, insecure/resistant infants

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

Developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth did a comparative study of maternal behavior in Africa and the United States starting in 1967. She focused on the importance of breast-feeding and body contact to the development of infant attachment. She found that maternal availability and responsiveness to infant signal were clearly related to the growth of secure attachments (Bock 1999).

Mary S. Ainsworth was fascinated in the association between infants and their mothers that she later coined the theory of infant-mother attachment. According to Ainsworth, there are three evident attachment patterns that will develop, secure, anxious and avoidant infants. Ainsworth felt it was substantially necessary for a child to transition out from a mother’s attachment and vulnerability to autonomy and independence as a factor in normal development in personality. One of the key points of Ainsworth security theory is that infants need to “develop a sense of direction and secure dependence on parents” before leaving the nest into a strange and unfamiliar situation (Bretherton, 1992). According to Ainsworth, “Familial security in the

Howe (2009 cited in Jowett and Spray 2012) discusses how attachment can be a feature in the ambivalent stage as children can display challenging behaviours. This was evident on my home visits as I observed the older child displaying aggressive behaviours. I also observed boundaries or routines were not a feature in the home, this caused me concern as one the children would be approaching school age and I questioned how N would cope. This may have relevance to Erikson’s trust versus mistrust stage (1959 cited in McLeod (2013). This theory implies if the care received is harsh or inconsistent the child may not develop confidence in their future abilities. Fonagy et al (1991) concludes parent’s attitudes to attachment can affect their behaviour

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