Erikson and Attachment in Toddlerhood DEP 2004 Human Development Across the Lifespan Dr. Erica Jordan University of West Florida

 Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt  1 – 3 years  Goal to obtain will— healthy understanding that we can intentionally cause things to happen in the world

Find a Partner and Take a Few Minutes to…  Think about one of your parents or another person who cared for you when you were young?  How did you feel about this person when you were a child?  How do you feel about this person now?

What is an Attachment?  A strong, enduring, emotional bond  Transcends time, space, and death  Often begin to develop before birth for expectant parents  Vary in quality and fall along a continuum of security  Secure  Insecure

What Attachment is Not  Not a new style of parenting  Not attachment therapy  Not helicopter parenting or “martyr mothering” (or fathering)  Not exclusively child-centered  Not indulgent or permissive parenting  Not only for mothers

Before Attachment Theory…  People took note of the special relationship that mothers and young children seemed to share.  Psychoanalytic theorists and social learning theorists concluded the relationship developed because of feeding.

“Father Of Attachment Theory”  John Bowlby, a British psychiatrist, realized the feeding explanation did not seem to tell the whole story. The connection was about more than feeding.  Noticed boys in a home for troubled youth who had disrupted, problematic relationships with their mothers had difficulties later in life.  Harry Harlow (1958) found that infant monkeys sought comfort in “mothers” that did not feed them. Instead, they sought out “mothers” who provided contact comfort.

Stages of Attachment  Parents often begin the process of attachment when they learn they will have a child.  Preattachment (Birth to about 2 months)  Attachment in the making (2 – 6 months)  True attachment (6 – 18 months)  Reciprocal relationships (18 months and up)

The Special Role of Fathers  Can also be attachment figures  Children can form multiple attachments  Joy is often important in father-child relationships  Fathers also able to provide comfort in times of distress

What Determines Quality of Attachment  Parenting behaviors & mental health  Child’s temperament  Attachment contributes to an infant’s…  Internal Working Model  Infant’s understanding of how responsive and dependable the caregiver is; thought to influence close relationships throughout the child’s life

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Test: Key Points of Interest  Exploration of toys  Social referencing  Separation distress  Ability to be soothed  Joy upon reunion & proximity seeking behaviors  Ability to return to exploration of toys

Classifications of Attachment Quality  Secure Attachment  Avoidant Attachment  Resistant Attachment  Disorganized (disoriented) Attachment

Benefits to Children  Have fewer health problems  Have better emotion regulation and cortisol balance  Are better prepared to explore the world around them  Better peer relations in early childhood and adolescence  Related to exploration in toddlerhood and IQ in children  More positive romantic relationships and more likely to have secure attachment relationships with their own children

Internal Working Model  Attachment relationships set the stage for a child’s social and emotional development  Becomes the framework for other relationships and for regulating down negative emotional states  Secure  Anxious/Ambivalent  Avoidant

Benefits to Parents and Caregivers  Find it easier to meet their child’s needs  Makes discipline easier  Promotes a lasting positive relationship with the child

The Impact of Work and Childcare on Attachment Quality  Best Practices:  Low teacher-child ratio  Trained, experienced staff with a knowledge of child development  Low turnover!  Stimulating environment  Effective partnership between parent and childcare providers  Check with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) at to see if the center is certified.