Cultural variations in attachment

Cultural variations in attachment

1. Cross-cultural similarities; AINSWORTH Uganda Study, she observed universals of attachment behaviour. The infants in Uganda (like UK and America) use mothers as a secure base for exploration, mothers of securely attached infants show more sensitivity than those who were insecurely attached. TRONICK ET AL - The Efe, African tribe, live in extended families where infants are cared for and even breast fed by other women but usually slept with their own mother at night. Infants at six months still showed one primary attachment. FOX - Infants in Israeli Kibbutzim (spend most time in communal children's home). Attachment was tested through strange situation. Found infants were equally attached to both caregiver and mother, but showed greater attachment in terms of reunion behaviour to mothers.

2. Cross-cultural differences; GROSSMANN AND GROSSMANN - German infants tended to be classified as insecurely attached - may be due to different childrearing practices. German cultures = interpersonal distance between parents and children, so infants do not engage in proximity-seeking behaviours in SS thus appear insecurely attached. TAKAHSHI - 60 middle-classJapanese infants and mothers. Found similar secure attachment rates as Ainsworth in the US, but there was no evidence of insecure-avoidant. They were especially distressed when left alone, got so extreme 90% of studies had to be stopped at this point. Can be explained by differences in childcare practices. Japan infants rarely separated from mothers - making them appear to be insecurely attached.

3. Conclution; Despite cultural variations in infant care arrangements, strongest attachement was still with mother. But research shows, there are differences in patterns of attachment which can be related to differences in cultural attitudes.

4. Meta-analysis; VAN IJZENDOORN AND KROONENBURG - meta-analysis from 32 studies of attachment behaviour - altogether examined over 2000 SS classifications in 8 different countires. Found differences between cultures were small - secure atachment was most common in every country. Insecure-avoidant was next most common in every country except Japan and Israel. Variation within culture was greater and variation between cultures. Supporting the idea that secure attachment is best for healthy social and emotional development, these cross-cultural similarities support the view that attachment is an inate and biological process.