Attachment Psychology ATAR Unit 3

What is “attachment”? Attachment is an emotional bond with a specific person that is enduring across time and space. In psychology, attachment refers to the relationship between infants and specific caregivers, such as a mother.

It has been said: “Parents who fall in love with their children, have children who fall in love with their parents”

Attachment involves… A complex, ongoing process. A two-way experience It requires both a closeness and a responsiveness

Attachment happens in every culture..

Attachment theory is … The belief that these strong affectionate ties influence a baby’s mental, social and emotional development and are vital to the child’s healthy development.

Harlow (1959) A well known study was conducted by Harlow in 1959, which showed that developing a close bond does not depend on hunger satisfaction. They conducted the experiment where rhesus monkey babies were separated from their natural mothers and reared by surrogates- one cloth covered and the other wire mesh. The monkeys cling to terry cloth mothers even though the wire mesh mothers had the bottle. This shows 'contact comfort' is a more important and need for closeness and affection much deeper.

Bowlby (1969) One of the pioneers in research regarding attachment. Believed it was normal to need other people throughout the life span. Argued both infants and parents are biologically predisposed to form attachments. Argued babies are born equipped with behaviours (crying, cooing, babbling, smiling, clinging, sucking, following) that help ensure that adults will love them, stay with them and meet their needs.

Bowlby (1969) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LM0nE81mIE

Bowlby’s Stages of Attachment Pre-attachment Birth - 6 weeks Baby’s innate signals attract caregiver Caregivers remain close by when the baby responds positively

Bowlby’s Stages of Attachment Attachment in the making 6 weeks - 8 months Develops a sense of trust that caregiver will respond when signaled Infants respond more positively to familiar caregiver Babies don't protest when separated from parent

Bowlby’s Stages of Attachment Clear-cut Attachment 6-8 months to 18-24 months Babies display separation anxiety Babies protest when parent leaves Formation of reciprocal relationship 18 months – 2 years Toddlers understand that parents will return

Factors affecting early attachment Quality of caregiving Overall sensitivity to the infant’s basic needs: food, stimulation, soothing Responsiveness to specific signals, such as vocalizations and facial expressions Play in which the caregiver actively encourages ongoing development

Factors affecting early attachment Infant characteristics temperament, special needs, prematurity or illness Family circumstances Stress can undermine attachment Parents’ internal working models Parents’ own attachment experiences Parents’ ability to accept their past

Maternal deprivation Refers to the separation from or loss of, the mother, as well as the failure to develop an attachment. Long-term consequences: Delinquency Reduced intelligence Increased aggression Depression Affectionless psychopathy

Maternal deprivation Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis is supported by Harlow’s research Monkeys reared in isolation from their mother suffered emotional and social problems later on They grew up to be aggressive They had problems interacting with other monkeys

Ainsworth (1970) Expanded on Bowlby’s work and challenged the theory that attachment is an all or nothing concept. Ainsworth (1970) developed an experimental procedure to observe the types of attachments formed between mothers and infants. The study came to be known as the Strange Situation scenario. The sample was infants aged between 12 and 18 months, and comprised about 100 middle class American families.

Ainsworth (1970) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HG05AIlH6Y

Ainsworth (1970) The experiment was conducted by observing the behaviour of the infant in a series of seven 3-minute episodes. (1) Parent and infant alone. (2) Stranger joins parent and infant. (3) Parent leaves infant and stranger alone. (4) Parent returns and stranger leaves. (5) Parent leaves; infant left completely alone. (6) Stranger returns. (7) Parent returns and stranger leaves.

Ainsworth (1970) Ainsworth’s study identified three types of attachment: secure Insecure anxious-avoidant anxious-resistant disorganised (other research)

Secure In the Strange Situation, secure children: Are distressed when the caregiver leaves. Will avoid the stranger when alone but friendly when the caregiver is present. Are positive and happy when the caregiver returns.

Anxious-avoidant In the Strange Situation, children who are anxious-avoidant: will show no sign of distress when caregiver leaves. are okay with the stranger and plays normally when stranger is present. will show little interest when mother returns.

Anxious-resistant In the Strange Situation, anxious-resistant children: are intensely distressed when the caregiver leaves. will avoid and show fear of stranger. will approach the caregiver when they return but will resist contact, and may even push them away.

Disorganised Emerged after further studies were done The behaviour of disorganised attached children is inconsistent. They may cry when the caregiver returns in the Strange Situation. They also may reach out to be comforted by the mother, but then push them away.

Secure attachment How do infants develop a secure attachment? Infants develop a secure attachment when the caregiver is sensitive to their signals, and responds appropriately to their needs.

Secure attachment What are the characteristics of securely attached children? They feel confident that the attachment figure will be available to meet their needs. They use the attachment figure as a safe base to explore the environment They seek the attachment figure in times of distress. They are easily soothed by the attachment figure when upset.

Secure attachment What is the result of having a secure attachment? Securely attached children develop a positive working model of themselves and view themselves as worthy of respect. They have mental representations of others as being helpful.

Insecure attachment  Accordingly, insecure attachment styles are associated with an increased risk of social, emotional and behavioural problems.

What could prevent attachment from forming? Parents that may be unhappy about the pregnancy or unhappy with each other A parent who is addicted to drugs or alcohol Parents who miss out on the initial bonding period because of illness, accidents, adoptions

Culture and attachment Overall, the types of attachment displayed in the Strange Situation are similar across numerous cultures The percentages of the attachment type in different cultures do vary slightly based on the parenting style of that society

Culture and attachment Sagi et al (1985) found that in Israel, infants who slept with their parents displayed a higher percentage of secure attachments compared to infants who slept in a collective sleeping arrangement, as in a kibbutz. Most of the insecure attachments measured in Sagi et al’s subsequent studies showed a higher level of anxious-avoidant attachments

Culture and attachment In Japan, caregivers are rarely apart from the children, therefore children are initially unwilling to leave the caregiver at all to explore in the Strange Situation task (Durkin, 1995)

Summary Attachments (secure and insecure) influence the way a child make’s sense of his/her world The first two years are foundational Trust and attachment are lifelong issues