What Is Attachment Attachment is a close emotional

What Is Attachment? • Attachment is a close emotional bond between the infant and the caregiver. • Harlow and Zimmerman found that feeding is not the crucial element in the attachment process and contact comfort is very important. • Erikson believed that the first year is the key time frame for the development of attachment. • John Bowlby believes that the newborn is biologically equipped to elicit the attachment behaviour from the primary caregiver. © 2005 Mc. Graw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.

The Development of Attachment • Phase 1: Birth to 2 months – infants instinctively direct their attention to human figures. • Phase 2: 2– 7 months – attachment becomes focused on one figure, usually a primary caregiver. • Phase 3: 7– 24 months – specific attachments develop. • Phase 4: 24 months on – a goal-directed partnership is formed in which children become aware of others’ feelings, goals, and plans. © 2005 Mc. Graw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.

Caregiving Style and Attachment Classification • Caregivers of securely attached babies are sensitive to their signals and are consistently available to respond to their infants’ needs. • Caregivers of avoidant babies tend to be unavailable or rejecting, tending not to respond to their babies’ signals and having little physical contact with them. • Caregivers of resistant babies sometimes respond to their babies’ needs and sometimes do not. • Caregivers of disorganized babies often neglect or physically abuse their babies, and sometimes these caregivers suffer from depression. © 2005 Mc. Graw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.

Attachment, Temperament, and Wider Social World • Researchers recognize the importance of competent, nurturant caregivers in an infant’s development, but it is debated whether or not secure attachment is critical. • Not all research reveals the power of infant attachment to predict subsequent development. • Some researchers stress that genetic and temperament characteristics play more important roles in a child’s social competence. • Cultural variations in attachment have been found. © 2005 Mc. Graw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.