Infant Attachment Essay

The movie “Babies” showed an abundance of behaviors and interactions that could unequivocally produce a secure attachment. One of the fundamental things that I noticed was the mothers that were reading books to their babies. Reading to children aids tremendously in their development and learning

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

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 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

Although there is a significant value addition to our understanding of child development provided by this theory, it seems to lay so much emphasis on the mother as the primary figure of attachment failing to take into consideration other people who interact with and are crucial to the life of the child like the siblings and the father. Attachment development of the child with the mother is of equal importance to that of the child with the rest of the people. It is extremely difficult to point out relevant attachment qualities since the observation of the attachment was concluded based on a few minutes. This is so as children are very different and unique with variations in experiences and feelings making it viable that their development is analyzed on individual grounds. Lastly the assumption by the theory that secure attachment always

An infant with a secure attachment style has a natural bond with their parent, where they are able to trust them, at the same time leaving their side to discover and explore their surroundings. In an insecure/resistant attachment the relationship the child has with their mother or caregiver is very clingy, thus making them very upset once the caregiver is away. When the mother or caregiver is back they are not easily comforted and resist their effort in comforting them. In an insecure/avoidant attachment the infant is, “indifferent and seems to avoid the mother, they are as easily comforted by a stranger, as by their parent” (Siegler 2011, p.429). Lastly, the disorganized/disoriented attachment is another insecure attachment style in which the infant has no way of coping with stress making their behavior confusing or contradictory. Through these brief descriptions of the attachment theory, many researchers have defined the turning point in which each attachment definition can have an influence on one’s self esteem, well-being and their marital relationship.

Of the children that were at normal weight for age, these infants had rates of secure attachment of 50% (Valenzuela, 1997). This is lower than the rates for in North America for middle class. Avoidant attachment was higher at 23% and anxious attachment was much higher at 22%. Only 2% were classified as disorganized

These characteristics are well demonstrated in Mary Ainsworth’s experiment of the “strange situation.” Researcher Chris Fraley describes the study as, “a group of 12 month-old infants and their parents are brought in to the laboratory and, systematically separated from and reunited with one another.” Approximately 58 percent of the children demonstrated characteristics of secure attachment. When the parent left the room the child displayed signs of distress with a need to be close to the attachment figure. When the parent returned to the room, the child eagerly approached

The quality of nurturance that a child receives also has profound effects on his or her social and emotional development. A study done by Pungello et al. (2009) explored the relationship between a mother’s sensitivity, measured by how well she responded to the child’s physical and emotional needs, and a child’s expressive communication, measured by vocal

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

When it comes to constructing the framework for support of maternal-infant bonding before birth, there is no theory more relevant than that of Attachment Theory. In fact, it is this theory and Ainsworth’s specific work on secure attachment that has demonstrated the impact the parent-child interaction has on the human experience, across spectrums of emotional, social, physiological and cognitive development (Crain, 2010). As such, it is difficulty to reign in the totality of these theories for the reason that they in their entirety apply to my topic. There is literally no way to spin this theory without landing on pertinent, applicable information. Because after all, this is what I am ultimately aiming to do: help mother’s attach to their unborn

By responding with care and comfort, this enables for an “attachment bond” to form between the infant and caregiver, most commonly the mother (White et al., 2013). Following on from Bowlby’s theory, Mary Ainsworth investigated the theory of attachment through observing the reactions of infants when their mothers left them alone with strangers. The investigation was named as the “Ainsworth’s strange situation assessment” (White et al., 2013). It was discovered through this investigation that infants who had secure attachments with their mothers were upset when separated and were easily soothed when the mother returns. This investigation implies that infants with secure attachment to their mothers show signs of normal social development.

Attachment theory is the idea that a child needs to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver. The theory proved that attachment is necessary to ensure successful social and emotional development in an infant. It is critical for this to occur in the child’s early infant years. However, failed to prove that this nurturing can only be given by a mother (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Many aspects of this theory grew out of psychoanalyst, John Bowlby’s research. There are several other factors that needed to be taken into account before the social worker reached a conclusion; such as issues surrounding poverty, social class and temperament. These factors, as well as an explanation of insecure attachment will be further explored in

John Bowlby theorized attachment as the emotional bond between a parent and their child (Stevenson-Hinde, 2007). How secure this bond is can influence a variety of areas in the child’s development. A parent can secure this attachment by how they interpret and respond to their child’s needs. There are four attachment patterns that can form, secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. A child who is secure in their attachment is able to regulate their emotions in stressful situations, explore their environment, and displays positive social behaviors. When a child is insecure or disorganize they are at a risk of displaying problematic externalized behaviors and issues with controlling their emotions. The impact of how attachment affects a child’s external behaviors from infancy through adolescence will be evaluated within this paper.

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