Attachment

Attachment

1. Definition

   • A strong, enduring, emotional and reciprocal bond between two people, especially an infant and caregiver

2. Explanations

   • Evolutionary
     • Key concepts: attachment = animal instinct. It is key in the process of passing genes onto the next generation.
       • attachment is innate
       • attachments are formed by both the child and the caregiver e.g. mother
     • Research
       • Lorenz (1935) - Imprinting
       • Harlow (1962) - Monkeys
       • Bowlby (1958)
         • Stages of Development
           • 1. Non-focus orienting and signalling
             • 2. Focus on one or more fingers
               • 3. Secure behaviour base
         • Social releasers
   • Learning
     • Classical Conditioning
       • Learning through association
     • Operant Conditioning
       • Learning through actions and rewards
         • Research: Skinner - The Skinner Box
     • Infants have no innate tendency to form attachments
     • Infants learn attachments because of food

3. Types of Attachment

   • Ainsworth - The Strange Situation
   • Secure attachment (Type B)
   • Insecure attachment - anxious/avoidant (Type A)
   • Insecure attachment - anxious/resistant (Type C)
   • Insecure attachment - disorganised/disorientated (Type D)

4. Stability of Attachment

   • Maternal sensitivty
     • Emotional availability
       • Temperament of infant
   • Disruption of Attachment
     • Privation
       • When a child does not form any attachment with a significant person
       • Rutter
       • Institutionalisation
         • Research: O' Connor et al.
     • Deprivation
       • Attachment bond is formed but later broken
       • Foster Care
       • Premature Birth
     • Research
       • Curtiss (1989) 'Genie'
       • Koluchova (1976) - 'Czech Twins'
       • Bowlby 'Maternal Deprivation' - 44 Thieves Study

5. Culture Variations

   • Culture is a set of rules and regulations, ideas, behaviours, attitudes and traditions that exist within a large group of people
     • Individualistic cultures
       • Importance placed on individual attainment (typically Western)
     • Collectivist cultures
       • Importance placed on the social group (typically Eastern)
     • Cultural differences in:
       • 1.Long term goals of child rearing
         • 2. Ways parents respond to children's needs
           • 3. How children and caregivers are valued
     • Research
       • Amae Study - Rothenbaun et al. (2007)
       • Van Ijzenoorn and Kroonenberg - Cultural differences in the Strange Situation