Emotional Development

Emotional Development

1. Attachments

   • A close two way emotional bond between individuals in which the individuals see the other as essential for their emotional security.
   • A secure attachment provides a sense of love, security and find a sense of belonging.
     • Attachments in early life lead to happier and healthier attachments later in life
       • More confident, less clingy, higher self esteem & less demanding
   • Insecure attachments lead to behavioural issues and manipulative behaviour..
     • May not develop the skills needed to deal with life events.
     • Mistrust of caregiver or any adult may develop.

2. Theories of Attachments

   • Bowlby
     • Infants are born with an inbuilt need to build attachments.
       • The quality of these attachments affect the rest of the child's life.
     • Attachments need to be formed before 2 years old, or they may never be able to attach (critical period)
     • Extra points
       • Bowlby oversimplifies his theory.
       • Bowlby believed attachment is natural.
   • Rutter
     • Maternal deprivation may not result in long term problems.
     • Maternal privation is much more damaging.
       • Privation happens when children have not had the opportunity to form attachments.
   • Schaffer & Emerson
     • Babies are more likely to form an attachment with someone they can connect to emotionally rather than whomever they spend most time with.
       • The adult that they play with rather than who feeds and changes them.
     • Sequence of development
       • Up to 3m
         • Most babies respond immediately to any caregiver.
       • 3m-7m
         • Distinguish differences between carers.
       • 7m-9m
         • Stranger anxiety
       • 9m+
         • More independent. Multiple attachments.

3. Self concept

   • Self esteem
     • how a person feels about themselves
   • Self image
     • A mental picture that someone has of themselves
     • how someone see’s their own characteristics
   • An awareness formed in early childhood of being an individual, a unique person and different from everybody else.