Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Stages of Attachment
- Schaffer & Emerson
- Aim: provide descriptive data about attachment, intensity of attachments, any individual differences, two measures used. 1) Stranger fear 2) separation anxiety
- Procedure: longitudinal, naturalistic observation monthly follow up visit 18 months later, 60 infants, asked mothers about infants in situations of separation, mothers kept diary in 7 situations. Mothers interviewed.
- Results: several stages found in attachment, asocial, indiscriminate, discriminate, multiple
- Conclusion: infant emotional dependence on caregiver not related to filling in psychological needs but to responsiveness so attachments formed with those who responded accurately to signals
- Evaluation: good external validity, longitudinal study, good sample size, little behaviour from infants at early stage,conflicting evidence, multiple attachments = special significance, biased mothers, also depend on personality and temperament.
- Grossman
- longitudinal study on both parents' behaviour and its relationship to quality of attachment.
- mothers and fathers quality not related
- in adolescence: father less important
- father: play and stimulation
- Mothers: more nurturing
- Geiger
- play interactions with father more exciting than mothers, mothers more affectionate
- playmates > caregivers
- Lamb: children prefer interacting with fathers when positive
- Hrdy
- fathers less able to detect low levels of distress
- fathers who are main caregivers quickly develop sensitivity
- Belsky
- high levels of marital intimacy related to secure fathet/infant attachments
- Brown et al
- high levels of supportive coparenting related to secure attachments
- between fathers not mothers, important for fathers
- Evaluation/application
- fathers/attachment research confusing- only recent
- father role is secondary traditionally
- Mothers instinct
- same sex families, no difference
- fathers not important?
- parents encouraged to co parent
- secure attachment with father- better with peers
- fathers help reduce mothers' stress, self esteem, time away from childcare
- equally sensitive
- Pleck- quality > time with father
- Lamb- fathers style of parenting
- interaction, accessibility, responsibility
- Men staying home to look after children tripled in last 15 years
- Factors involving paternal involvement
- Cultural factors - men considered breadwinners, involved in play, instruction and guidance
- Economic factors- S. Africa men work hundreds of miles away, long hours but increase in fem. labour force
- Social policies - paternal leave
- Biological factors- women adapted to feed and nurture, produce oestrogen
- Child- Freeman found male children prefer father as attachment and attached till late childhood/early adolescence
- Temperament- Manlove found fathers less likely to be involved if child has difficult temperament
- Research with father inconsistent, secondary role has ethical issues, socially sensitive