Cultural Variations in Attachment

Cultural Variations in Attachment

1. Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988)

   • meta-analysis of findings from 32 studies of attachment behaviour from 8 countries
   • secure attachment most common in every country
   • insecure-avoidant 2cnd most common everywhere except Japan & Israel (which are collectivist)
   • variation within cultures was 1.5 times higher than between cultures
   • the findings suggest that global pattern of attachment is similar to the US & that secure attachment is best for healthy social & emotional development

2. Other cultural differences

   • Grossman & Grossman (1991)
     • german infants more likely to be attached insecurely than securely
     • this may be due to German childrearing practices which emphasise independence and do not engage in proximity seeking behaviours in the strange situation leading to insecure classification
   • Takahashi (1990)
     • Used strange situation on Japanese infants & mothers - found normal rates of secure attachments but higher rates of insecure-resistant (32%)
     • the infants were particularly distressed when left alone, which may be due to different child rearing practices, as Japanese infants are rarely separated from mothers

3. Evaluation

   • Cultural variations may not be innate
     • Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg suggest some cultural similarities may be due to the media & not an innate disposition
     • media presents ideas about parenting so its possible children globally are exposed to similar parenting as a result of the media not an innate attachment type
     • suggests similarities in Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg research may be result of global media culture rather than innate biological influences
   • based on countries not cultures
     • Van Ijzendoor & Sagi (2001) examined attachment in Tokyo & found similar distribution as in western studies, while more rural samples found + insecure resistant
     • highlights variation within one country & supports Van Ijzendoor & Kroonenberg's original claim about more variation within cultures than between.
     • This suggests that cultural variation may not be comparing cultures after all and the term cultural variation should be used with caution
   • research tools lack vaidity
     • strange situation has certain cultural assumptions that are specific to its country of origin e.g. assumes 'willingness to explore' is a sign of secure attachment
     • these cultural assumptions may not be true of all cultures & research in Japan highlights that dependence rather than independence would be a sign of secure attachment
     • suggests strange situation may lack validity in other cultures & could result in the misclassification of attachment types
   • Cultural bias of attachment theory
     • Rothbaum et al (2000) claims that the attachment theory is rooted in american culture
     • Furthermore, Rothbaum found Japanese children demonstrate inhibition of emotional expression & preference to group - rather than self-orientated behaviour
     • suggests high levels of insecure-resistant attachment found in Japanese children may be the result of a cultural bias in attachment theory
   • development of universal principles of attachment
     • Posada & Jacobs (2011) note that theres a lot of evidence that supports the underlying principles of attachment
     • e.g. China, Colombia & Germany all support that maternal sensitivity leads to secure attachment
     • Therefore, even though expression of maternal sensitivity and behaviours in securely attached children may vary across cultures, the core concepts are the same