Attachment theory

Early stages of attachment

1 Undiscriminating social responsiveness (birth to 2 or 3 months) no preference shown for interest from the infant 2 Discriminating social responsiveness (2 or 3 months to 6 or 7 months) - preference is for familiar people; although friendly with strangers, infants are more likely to use their most connected social skills of babbling and smiling for more familiar people 3 Active proximity seeking/true attachment (6 or 7 months to about 3 years old) - the initial attachment occurs at about 6 or 7 months; this is characterised by following the person visually and physically, such as crawling after the person; starting with a main attachment to one person and extending to several by 18 months 4 Goal-directed partnership (3 years and older) - the child aims to stay close to the primary attachment figure and will adjust the behaviour to achieve this goal; this forms the basis of the lifetime behaviour of allowing others to leave and return without undue anxiety and reaction (Sigelman & Rider, 2006, p392)

Types of attachment
1. Secure attachments Some distress at separation occurs, reunion involves caregiver being greeted, some comfort sought by child and then child returns to contented play
Student Study Guide 28 Developmental Psychology

Babies with secure attachment show high levels of eye contact, vocalisation and mutuality when relating to caregiver Clear preference for caregiver over strangers Caregiver is alert and sensitive to infants signals and communications Child is confident that the caregiver will be available and helpful in adverse or frightening situations 2. Insecure and avoidant attachments Few signs from child of distress at separation 1

 Reunion involves ignoring or avoiding caregiver No seeking of physical contact; watchful of caregiver and generally wary Play is inhibited Little discrimination between caregiver and strangers Caregiver seems indifferent and insensitive to or rejecting of the childs signals and needs 3. Insecure and ambivalent or resistant attachments Child highly distressed at separation Very difficult to calm upon reunion Seek contact but are not settled when they receive it When reunited, resist attempts to pacify and continue to cry, fuss, squirm, thrash about Run to caregiver if s/he walks away Ambivalent ie. both demands caregiver attention and angrily resists it at the same time Reluctant to return to play; nervous in novel situations and people Caregiver is inconsistent and insensitive though not hostile and rejecting 4. Insecure and Disorganised Attachments Elements of both avoidant and ambivalent attachment behaviour Behaviour upon reunion is to show confusion and disorganisation Appear to lack defensive strategy against anxiety May make mechanical contact but do not show emotion or feeling Caregivers seem to be frightening or frightened and therefore cannot provide source of comfort or safety for the child - this compounds the childs anxiety Irresolvable conflict for the child: approach the caregiver and experience them as the cause of anxiety 5. Non-attachments Reserved for children who have little chance to form affectional bonds Mostly applicable to children who have grown up in institutionalised care Can also be applied to infants who have caregivers who are extremely emotionally unavailable and unresponsive eg. when the caregiver has a major mental health issue or substance addiction
Student Study Guide 29

Developmental Psychology

Results in problems in relationships and most relationships are based on needs with people being interchangeable so long as the needs are met Little distress expressed at the departure of the caregiver Poor impulse control and poor aggression control result

Defensive strategies and adaptive responses

Attachment behaviour is aimed to bring about proximity and comfort. Psychological strategies need to be introduced to reduce anxiety or to seek new ways of engaging an attachment figure. Secure attachments provide a container for handling the typical conflicts the infant and child experiences. Excluding, distorting, redefining or avoiding become the defenses of the infant or child whose attachment is insecure. Additionally, resolution of these anxieties within relationships can occur through three basic strategies: 1 Compliance ie. moving towards people - generally associated with secure attachment 2 Aggression ie. moving against people - often associated with anxious-resistant and ambivalent attachments 3 Withdrawal ie. moving away from people - often associated with anxious-avoidant attachment

Bowlby Attachment theory Built on demonstration by Ethologist Konrad Lorenz goslings became imprinted to him rather than mother as first moving object encountered during their critical period for imprinting Theory created by British Psychiatrist John Bowlby, later Mary Ainsworth, US developmental Psychologist Drew on Psychoanalytic theory relationship between mother & child perception of self and other Attachment is strong affectional tie binding a person to intimate companion. Also behavioural system regulating human emotional distress when under threat by achieving security in proximity of another person First occurs 6-7 mnths, normally parent Impacts development, forming internal cognitive structure/working model representing self & other people with the processing of social information & behavior in relationships Attachment cont Stranger anxiety preventative Wire and cloth surrogate monkey experiment. Went to less comfortable, further distance, colder Later development secure & insecure relationships Model of self secure, preoccupied (resistant), dismissing (avoidant), fearful

Attachment styles
Secure healthy balance, autonomous, freedom to explore Preoccupied desperate for love to feel worthy as person, worry about abandonment, express anxiety and danger openly Dismissing shut out emotions, defend against hurt by avoiding intimacy, dismissing importance of relationships, compulsively self-reliant. Fearful Need relationships but doubt own worth and fear intimacy. Lack of coherent strategy for meeting attachment needs

REFER

REFERENCES
Ainsworth, M.; Blehar, M.; Waters, E.; and Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of Attachment. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and Loss, Vol. 1: Attachment. New York: Basic Books. Bowlby, J. (1979). The Making and Breaking of Affectional Bonds. London: Tavistock. Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base. New York: Basic Books. Feeney, J. A.; Noller, P.; and Patty, J. (1993). "Adolescents' Interactions with the Opposite Sex: Influence of Attachment Style and Gender." Journal of Adolescence 16, 169186. Hazen, C. & Shaver, P. (1987) Romantic love conceptualized as an 5

attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-524. Main, M., & Hesse, E. (1990). Parents' unresolved traumatic experiences are related to infant disorganized attachment status: Is frightened/frightening parental behavior the linking mechanism? In M. T. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, & E. M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research, and Intervention, 161182. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press . Bernstein, D.A., Penner, L.A, Clarke-Stewart, A., Roy, E.J. (2006) Psychology (7th ed). Boston: Haughton Mifflin Company Cardillo, M., Intimate Relationships: Personality Development through Interaction during early life, (1998) http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/cardillo.html [accessed 25/08/08] Waters, T., Learning to love: Youre your Mothers Arms to your Lovers arms, (2004) http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/attachment/online/twaters_medi um.pdf. [accessed 25/08/08] Weiten, W., Lloyd, M.A., Dunn, S. D., Hammer, E.Y. (2009) Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century 9th Edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. USA