Attachment Bryce Di Leo Krystal Davis Maria Sanchez

Attachment Bryce Di. Leo Krystal Davis Maria Sanchez

WHAT IS ATTACHMENT? l l l l It is a lasting emotional bond that one person has with another. Attachments begin to form in early infancy, it is evident by 8 months, and solidifies by age 1. It influences the persons relationships throughout life. When two people are attached they respond through proximity seeking behaviors. EX: When an infant approaches and follows a caregiver. They also use contact-maintaining behaviors. EX: An attached, but curious toddler will explore but will look behind them to look for the caregiver. A securely attached adult might phone home regularly. Caregivers show attachment as well. They keep a watchful eye over their children and respond to vocalizations, expressions, and gestures.

Stages of Attachment l l l l Birth 6 weeks: pre-attachment 6 weeks to 8 months: attachment in the making 8 months to 2 years: classic secure attachment 2 years to 6 years: launching pad 6 years to 12: mutual attachment 12 years to 18: new attachment figures 18 years on: attachment revisited

ATTACHMENT THEORY l l Attachments with caregivers starts in early childhood, and determines how you will be with your own children. The central theme of attachment theory is that mothers who are available and responsive to their infant's needs establish a sense of security in their children. The infant knows that the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to then explore the world.

THE COMPONENTS OF ATTACHMENT l l l There are four components of attachment. Safe Haven: When the child feels threatened or afraid, he or she can return to the caregiver for comfort and soothing. Secure Base: The caregiver provides a secure and dependable base for the child to explore the world. Proximity Maintenance: The child strives to stay near the caregiver, thus keeping the child safe. Separation Distress: When separated from the caregiver, the child will become upset and distressed.

Marry Ainsworth Experiment. n Mary Ainsworth expanded greatly upon Bowlby's original work. Her groundbreaking “strange situations” study revealed the profound effects of attachment on behavior. In the study, researchers observed children between the ages of 12 and 18 months as they responded to a situation in which they were briefly left alone and then reunited with their mothers.

Mary Ainsworth Experiment cont. n n n According to Mary, there are three types of attachment. Secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. A fourth style of attachment was added in later studies called disorganized-insecure attachment.

The Strange Situation. n n This experiment is used to measure attachment with infants and caregivers. First the caregiver and child are together. Then a stranger will enter the room. The stranger will ignore the child and do something else for a minute. Then the stranger will attempt to play with the child. The child's response is recorded. Then the caregiver leaves the room, and they see what the child's response is. The caregiver will then re-enter the room which is called “reunion”.

Mary’s Experiment. Video Clip: n The Strange Situation - Mary Ainsworth You. Tube

Rhesus Monkey Experiment. l l This experiment was developed by Harry Frederick Harlow removed baby rhesus monkeys from their mothers and arranged for them to be "raised" by two kinds of surrogate monkey mother machines, both equipped to dispense milk. One device was made out of bare mesh wire. The other was fashioned from wire and covered with soft terrycloth. He later modified the experiment by separating the infants into two groups, giving them no choice between the two types of mothers.

Rhesus Monkey Experiment Cont. l l In Harlow's classic experiment, two groups of baby rhesus monkeys were removed from their mothers. In the first group, a terrycloth mother provided no food, while a wire mother did, in the form of an attached baby bottle containing milk. In the second group, a terrycloth mother provided food; the wire mother did not. It was found that the young monkeys clung to the terrycloth mother whether or not it provided them with food, and that the young monkeys chose the wire surrogate only when it provided food. Whenever a frightening stimulus was brought into the cage, the monkeys ran to the cloth mother for protection and comfort, no matter which mother provided them with food. This response decreased as the monkeys grew older.

Rhesus Monkey Experiment Cont. l The importance of these findings is that they contradicted both then common pedagogic advice of limiting or avoiding bodily contact in an attempt to avoid spoiling children and the insistence of then dominant behaviorist school of psychology that emotions were negligible. Feeding was thought to be the most important factor in the formation of a mother-child bond. Harlow concluded, however, that nursing strengthened the mother-child bond because of the intimate body contact that it provided. He described his experiments as a study of love. He also believed that contact comfort could be provided by either mother or father. Though widely accepted now, this idea was revolutionary at the time.

Rhesus Monkey Experiment. Video Clip: Harlow's Studies on Dependency in Monkeys You. Tube

Changes in attachment status l Changes in attachment status early researchers expected secure attachment to “predict all the outcomes responsibility expected from a wellfunctioning personality” But this turned out not to be the case. Securely attached infants are more likely to become secure toddlers, socially competent preschoolers, academically skilled school children, and capable parents generally correlate with secure attachment. However the type of attachment may change if family circumstances change.

Why is attachment so important? l An infant or toddler is considered “securely attached” if, as they mature and move through their normal developmental stages, they can use their mother or other consistent caregiver as a secure base from which to explore their environment. The securely attached baby or toddler trusts that care will be given to them, their needs will be met consistently, they will be helped to learn self regulation, and they will be encouraged to learn and explore their environment. Because they feel safe and secure, they have the confidence and sense of competence they need to try new things and to learn.

Why is attachment so important Cont. l Insecure attachment can develop if the primary caregiver, usually the mother, does not consistently respond to the infant in warm, affectionate, loving, dependable, and sensitive ways. Babies who are frequently left to cry by themselves, or who are not offered comfort and care, learn not to trust other people and to be fearful of the world around them. They can go on to develop a mental representation of the world as hostile or uncaring. They may believe that they cannot make a difference in their own life, which can lead to a kind of pessimism and sense of helplessness that significantly reduces their ability to achieve in life.

Summarize l l Attachment is a bond with another person. Attachment starts at 8 months. When a child is attached they respond through proximity seekingbehaviors or contactmaintaining behaviors. There are four components of attachment. l l l Infants have a sequence from infant to parents. Attachment is important so when infants grow older they become “secure” and dependable members of modern society Mary Ainsworth had her groundbreaking “strange situations”.

Group Presentation Handout: Attachment Definitions Attachment: According to Ainsworth, “an affectional tie” that an infant forms with a caregiver – a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time. When two people are attached they respond to each other through: proximity-seeking behaviors (infant follows caregiver) and contact-maintaining behaviors (ex: touching, cuddling, etc. ) Secure attachment: A relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver. Insecure-avoidant attachment: A pattern of attachment in which an infant avoids connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not to care about the caregiver’s presence, departure or return. Insecure-resistant/ambivalent attachment: A pattern of attachment in which an infant’s anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when the infant becomes very upset at separation from the caregiver and both resists and seeks contact on reunion. Disorganized attachment: A type of attachment that is marked by an infant’s inconsistent reactions to the caregiver’s departure and return. Strange Situation: A laboratory procedure for measuring attachment by evoking infants’ reactions to the stress of various adults’ comings and goings in an unfamiliar playroom. *Although attachment is traditionally measured at about age 1 via the Strange Situation, it builds from the first days of life and remains apparent in adulthood.