CHAPTER 14 ATTACHMENT AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

Attachment  A deep and enduring connection established between a child and caregiver in the first several years of life.

Attachment  Basic trust and reciprocity  Exploration  Self-regulation  Identity  Prosocial moral framework  Core belief system  Defense against stress/trauma

Attachment  Established in the context of a relationship that includes:  touch  eye contact  smile and positive affect  need fulfillment

Secure Attachment  Self-esteem  Independence/autonomy  Resilience  Impulse control  Long-term friendships  Relationships with authority figures (including parents)  Prosocial coping skills  Trust, intimacy and affection  Positive belief systems  Empathy, compassion, and conscience  Behavioral performance and academic success  Promote secure attachment with own children

Disrupted Attachment  Low self-esteem  Needy, clingy or pseudo-independent  Decompensate under stress  Lack self-control  Unable to develop/maintain friendships  Alienated from/oppositional with parents other authority figures  Antisocial attitudes/behaviors  Aggression/violence  Incapable of genuine trust, intimacy, affection  Negative, hopeless, pessimistic view  Lack empathy, compassion, remorse  Behavior/academic problems  Perpetuate cycle

History of Attachment Theory  John Bowlby  Affectionless/homeless children  Ethology  Bowlby conclusions:  instinctual behaviors keep mother close  smile is a social releaser  certain conditions increase attachment  maternal deprivation/separation traumatic  loss causes pathological mourning

Attachment History  David Levy  Loretta Bender  Harry Bakwin  Rene Spitz  James Robertson- stages of emotional reaction to loss/separation  Harry Harlow

 The wire and cloth surrogate “mothers” used in Harlow’s research. This infant monkey has formed an attachment to the cloth mother that provides “contact comfort,” even though it must stretch to the wire mother in order to feed.

History of Attachment  Mary Ainsworth  Uganda Study  Secure Base  Phases of Attachment  undiscriminating  differential responsiveness  separation anxiety  active initiation  stranger anxiety

Mary Ainsworth  Strange Situation  Attachment Patterns  Secure  Insecure  Resistant/Ambivalent  Avoidant  Parenting Dimensions: acceptance, cooperation, sensitivity, and availability

Developmental Studies  Mary Main longitudinal study  disorganized attachment  internal working model  Allan Sroufe  High risk population

Cultural Variations  In U.S., one-third (middle class families) insecurely attached  Percentage higher in high-risk families  Results consistent in all cultures  Universal and culture-specific aspects of attachment  German replication: avoidant attachment  Israeli kibbutzim: ambivalent attachment

Effects of Social Deprivation  Infants grieve when separated from caregiver Recover when reunited or upon forming new attachments  A series of separations more harmful  Romanian orphans Insecure, anxious Difficulty coping with stress  Need sustained interaction with responsive caregivers – one or a few

Romantic Attachment  Adult Attachment Interview (Mary Main)  Secure- balance attachment/autonomy  Preoccupied- abandonment, anxiety/anger  Dismissing- compulsively self- reliant  Fearful- self-doubt, lack of strategies

Childhood Peers  Important for social development  Piaget: equal power among peers Requires cooperation, negotiation skills  Sullivan: Peers important after age 6 Changing interpersonal needs  Harris: Parental influence is overrated Peers more important for development

Peer Relations  18 mo: first peers Turn taking Reciprocal play  Age 2-12: increasing time spent Same sex peers Similar age and play preferences

Peer Acceptance  Sociometric techniques Most popular kids  Attractive, intelligent  Socially competent Rejected kids  Highly aggressive  Socially isolated, overly sensitive, submissive

Peers or Parents?  Harris: The Nurture Assumption Peers more important than parents Parental influence overrated Socialization by neighborhood peers Individuality comes from genes

Adolescents  Parents still important  Boy-girl friendships and dates Dating: Dunphy’s phases  Initiation, status, affection, bonding  Friendships: More intimacy Friends similar psychologically  Cliques and crowds Increased conformity

The Adult  Social networks shrink  Closer to family  Romantic attachments remain  Adult friendships valued  Important to have at least one confidant

Emotions in Infancy  Timing of emotions biologically programmed Tied to cognitive maturation Evolved to ensure that caregivers respond  Social referencing by months Monitor reactions in others to help define situation, regulate behavior and emotions Modeling, imitation, reinforcement  Emotion Regulation: Learned throughout infancy and childhood

 The emergence of different emotions. Primary emotions emerge in the first six months of life, secondary or self-conscious emotions emerge starting about 18 months to 2 years of age.

Play  Age 1-2: Pretend play  Age 2-5: Social play  Age 5-6: Rule-based games  By age 11-2: Rule flexibility  Play is beneficial Cognitive development Social skills

 In the study by Simpson er al, (2007) relationship quality at each step in development affected relationship quality at the next step.