Emotional Dev of ChildhoodAttachment emotional closeness between infant
Emotional Dev. of Childhood-Attachment emotional closeness between infant & caregiver from 7 -9 mo. through 18 mo. ’s • infants seek proximity • separation anxiety • stranger fear J. Bowlby’s theory: --needed to protect defenseless infant --became instinct through natural selection
Secure v. Insecure Attachment • Infants differ in terms of secure (60%) or insecure attachment (40%) • Best outcome is secure attachment
Secure Attachment • View: mother’s sensitivity produces it • Evidence: sensitivity measured at 6 mo. attachment measured at 12 mo. , 18 mo. Secure-good sensitivity Insecure--unresponsive or inconsistent
Long-Term Outcomes • Children’s attachment measured when infants • Observed later in childhood • Securely attached infants: • better at self-care (2 years) • more enthusiastic, better social skills (preschool)
Attachment at Older Ages • Security of attachment was same at 6 as during infancy for 84% children • Main & Cassidy (1988) • As adolescents, higher reasoning for individuals who were securely-attached infants
Attachment at Older Ages (cont’d. ) • psych. disorders for adolescents who were insecurely attached (D category) • Carlson, 1995 • parenting style as adult may reflect secure attachment as infant • Van IJzendoorn, 1995
Long-Term Outcomes • Ainsworth’s explntn: as infant construct internal working model (of relationships) • Yet, some individuals experience change in security through childhood • Mother gains social support, parenting info. • Infants can form multiple (secure) attachmts. (research in non-Western cultures)
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