The life someone lives is not always their choice. Sometimes the events that occur in our lives could be because of our parents. Divorce is becoming more common especially among African Americans. The significant event that I have chosen to reflect on is the divorce of one of my friend parents at the age of sixteen. The theory that I decided to use that would demonstrate this event is the attachment theory. I chose this theory to illustrate the significance of the event by describing her decision on what parent to live with and how she became more resistant of family and others.
Growing up as a child life became rough for poor Natalie as she was born a premature baby. That alone had already caused issues between her parents who were emotionally unavailable because of depression going through the divorce, and dealing with a father who raped his other child. Growing up she was insecurely attached more than ever being hospitalized and separated from her parents because of her illness. She experienced insecure attachment mostly as baby while crying and no one responded or offered to comfort her while her parents were gone making her begin to feel like she was mistreated. When nurses would rotate throughout the night at the hospital not every person knew what her needs were for her specific cry. As a baby until this day she still reminisces on the times when she was hungry or wet, and experienced never being attended to for hours. Natalie always felt anxious because the
Attachment theory, or styles, is the way we describe relationships and bonds between people. In this particular case it will be about the bond between two parents and the child as they struggle through the troubles of divorce. In Dean McKay’s article “The Trauma of Divorce: Reducing the Impact of Separation on Children” we see that he identifies divorce for children as trauma, and that because of trauma they become less secure in attachment. He begins to show the multiple ways that divorce can cause an impact on children, if the child is going through an attachment stage. McKay also begins to tell of how attachments can become weakened through divorce (McKay, 1997). His main area of concern though is that if the attachment is weakened as a child how does it both them as an adult?
Furthermore, assumptions about divorce may be primarily be connected to the idea that happy homes create happy children whereas, unhappy, separated homes create the children to have problems. Moreover, what should be taken into account is that children learn what they live and that parents are role models. Not only do parents create the ideal of a good work ethic, skills, communication, logic but also commitment. In relation, the cycle of abuse also may be taught to a child. If a child sees abuse in the home he or she is more likely to exhibit the same actions compared to children from non - violent environments. Parents are still the bearers of large responsibilities according to their children and cannot just blame it on the media any longer. Although divorce is seen by many Americans as an unfortunate ending to a chapter in life, many still make the choice.
Attachment theory, put forth by John Bowlby, is in agreement with Freudian psychoanalytic theory in that our early experiences with caregivers shape our adult ability to love. In contrast to psychoanalytic theory, attachment theory focuses on what Bowlby called the attachment response (Belsky, 2013, p. 15-16). Basically, we are genetically pre-programmed to form attachments with others because this will help us survive (McLeod, 2007). Bowlby believed in monotropy, which is an attachment conceptualized as being a vital and close bond with just one attachment figure, typically the mother. This attachment to the mother is the most important and if it is broken or disrupted during the critical two-year period the child will suffer irreversible long-term consequences of this maternal deprivation. This risk continues until the age of 5 (McLeod, 2007). So, based on this, a child who is 4 or 5 and whose parents are going through a divorce may experience a disrupted attachment to the mother due to diminished or incompetent parenting. Long-term consequences of maternal deprivation might include delinquency, reduced intelligence, increased aggression, depression and affectionless psychopathy. Attachment theory, just as in
Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space (Bowlby, 1969). Likewise, attachment theory is a psychological model that seeks to illustrate the dynamics of both long term and short- term interpersonal relationships (Waters, E.; Corcoran, D.; Anafarta, M. 2005). Additionally, attachment theory address how people respond within relationships when hurt, separated from loved ones, or when they perceive a threat (Waters et al., 2005). Attachment theory is the combined work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Bretherton, I. 1992, p. 1). The theory predominantly draws on the ideas from doctrines such as, ethology, cybernetics, information processing and developmental psychology (Bretherton, I. 1992, p. 1). It is considered that attachment theory has revolutionized the way society thinks about the relationship between the mother and her child and the importance of
John Bowlby, the backbone of attachment theories will be discussed throughout this essay to explain and evaluate the key theories of attachment. Health and well-being which is made up of four factors ‘physical, intellectual, emotional and social ' (Jones, 2016), will also be discussed within the essay. The definition of attachment is ‘an act of attaching or the state of being attached. ' (Dictionary, 1400) This will be showed in the assignment, using theorists to analyse the meaning. Sharing the strengths and weaknesses in some theorists will help conclude this assignment.
There are instances where divorce is essential. In cases such as verbal or physical abuse of a spouse or child, divorce may be the only solution. However, the negative effects of divorce have a large impact on family structure. Divorce can be very stressful for young adult children, with a sense of increased responsibility to their parents and a vulnerability to loyalty conflicts with both parents. In addition, this article proclaims that young adults may experience a sense of loss of their family home, abandonment by their parents, and a concern
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.
All of these relationship issues are greatly impacted due to the relationship between Beca and her father and the attachment style Beca learned from her parents. This paper will explore how attachment style is affected in children of divorce and how that leads to future success or failure in their adult romantic relationships; In this case, specifically looking at college age students. Even further in depth, the paper will also examine the dynamic relationship between divorced fathers and their children, and how certain characteristics within that relationship will affect the child’s romantic relationships. Lastly, it will explore the possibility of attachment style changing due to better and more stable relationships made in the future.
Lifespan development is a field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire life span. The purpose of field being that one can determine the average maturation levels both physically and mentally in humans being born today (Feldman, 2006). This paper will delve into the human development of a twenty-one year old fictional character named Sara Jones, in a way that is similar to people who are living today. Sara’s life will be explained and discussed from prenatal development through newborn and preschool up until middle childhood and adolescence. Although she is a fictional character her stages of development will be presented in a way that is probable for a young
Drive Theory, Ego Psychology, Object Relations, Self Psychology, and Attachment Theory are different vistas from which we can observe and study human development. I have decided to explain mine from the perspective of Attachment Theory, whose main contributors include John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, and Mary Main. However, before doing so, it would be useful to outline a bony framework and define certain key concepts of Attachment Theory, which focuses on the relationships and bonds between people--particularly long-term ones such as child-parent and husband-wife.
Attachment theory is a psychological model that provides an influential, biologically driven explanation of how the parent-child interaction emerges and how it influences human development over a life span. The term attachment refers to the complex set of related thought processes and behaviors towards a primary care giver. The attachment behaviors are biologically guided by our natural instinct for protection and safety. This evolved behavioral system organizes human motivation, emotions, cognition, and memory. The attachment relationship that an individual creates in infancy effects their growth, behavior in other relationships, risk taking, and mental health through their human development (George, 2014, p. 97). I chose to use attachment theory to understand Carla’s current situation because the theory has been powerful in understanding the range of relationships patterns that develop between mother and their infants and children. It has been shown that children who experience inadequate parenting are at a much higher risk for an insecure attachment style and experience more interpersonal difficulties in adulthood especially with relationships. Carla grew up in a very inconsistent environment her whole life. Using attachment theory I am analyzing how her childhood shaped who she is as a woman and the choices she made that ultimately brought her to where she is today.
The client believed the loss was difficult to accept, because of the bond she shared with her mother. Although she was willing to try to understand why it had occurred, she acknowledged her needs and tried to cope within the situation, having lost the attachment bond with her mother. From this perspective it is useful to explore the client’s situation using Attachment Theory, Bowlby (1973, 1988) this theory stresses the important implications for counseling (Bowlby. 1988). Attachment theory greatly influences interpersonal relationships between parent and child through separation and loss.
The role of attachment in parent-child relations is the ecological systems theory. It provides an opportunity for the psychosocial development of both children and adults, especially the adults according to the textbook. Parents are assisted in their growth and development as adults by parenting children, while children are socialized into adulthood by parents. It describes how
In this section, a summarization of attachment theory will be given; why attachment is important in healthy personality development; its survival component and its transgenerational effects.
Researchers have been looking at theories to show how important relationships are in people’s lives and attachment theory has allowed them to understand human behavior in a variety of ways. Feelings, such as anger and romantic love, can be directly correlated to the attachments received as a child.