1. Social Development
Standards 4ci-iv
4ci - Examine attachment in childhood & its role in the subsequent formation of relationships
4cii - Discuss potential effects of deprivation or trauma in childhood on later development
4ciii - Define resilience
4civ - Discuss strategies to build resilience

2. John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (1951)
Mother child attachment is biologically necessary
Proximity maintenance, safe haven, separation distress are key features
Visual system develops and ability to discriminate between primary caregiver and others improves
Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety develop around 7-8 months
Interactional synchrony b/w mother
and child
© Christina Kennedy/ PhotoEdit

3. Internal Working Model
Biologically motivated, environmentally constructed – EXPERIENCE
Ideas about attachment figure and expectations for behavior
Ideas about self
Ideas about self and how others relate
Mary Ainsworth then operationalized Bowlby’s theory

4. Attachment Differences – Ainsworth’s Strange Situations Studies (1967 & 1971)
Type A – Avoidant – 20%
Type B – Securely Attached - 70%
Type C – Ambivalent - 10%
Type D added by Main and Solomon is insecure-disorganized/disoriented

5. Factors in Attachment & Cross Cultural Studies
Parental Sensitivity
Infant Temperament
Familial Circumstances
Not an etic concept
Main (2000)argues what is normative is based on support for the child – in its absence avoidant becomes the norm
Japanese have no Type A but many more Type C compared to Western World

6. Evaluate Ainsworth’s Study
Using Companion Guide pg. 199 as a guide – discuss at your tables all of the MEGA-C concepts related to Ainsworth
Have one person bullet point responses for each concept

7. Love vs. Acceptance and Attachment
TED – Love No Matter What – 22 min

8. Attachment Theory in Other Relationships
If you didn’t focus on application of attachment theory in romantic relationships, take some time to review Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) research from the Companion book pg
Discuss the application of attachment theory in terms of romantic relationships

9. Origins of Attachment
Harlow (1971) showed that infants bond with surrogate mothers because of bodily contact and not because of nourishment.
Harlow Primate Laboratory, University of Wisconsin
OBJECTIVE 12| Discuss the effects of nourishment, body contact, and familiarity on infant social attachment.

10. Origins of Attachment
Like bodily contact, familiarity is another factor that causes attachment. In some animals (goslings), imprinting is the cause of attachment.
Alastair Miller

11. Secure Attachment
Relaxed and attentive caregiving becomes the backbone of secure attachment.
Berry Hewlett

12. Insecure Attachment
Harlow’s studies showed that monkeys experience great anxiety if their terry-cloth mother is removed.
Harlow Primate Laboratory, University of Wisconsin

13. Attachment Differences: Why?
Why do these attachment differences exist?
Factor
Explanation
Mother
Both rat pups and human infants develop secure attachments if the mother is relaxed and attentive.
Father
In many cultures where fathers share the responsibility of raising children, similar secure attachments develop.

14. Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety peaks at 13 months of age, regardless of whether the children are home or sent to day care.

15. Deprivation of Attachment
What happens when circumstances prevent a child from forming attachments?
In such circumstances children become:
OBJECTIVE 14| Assess the impact of parental neglect, family disruption, and day care on attachment patterns and development.
Withdrawn
Frightened
Unable to develop speech

16. Prolonged Deprivation
If parental or caregiving support is deprived for an extended period of time, children are at risk for physical, psychological, and social problems, including alterations in brain serotonin levels.
TED - The Tragedy of Orphanages – 10 minutes

17. Day Care and Attachment
Quality day care that consists of responsive adults interacting with children does not harm children’s thinking and language skills.
However, some studies suggest that extensive time in day care can increase aggressiveness and defiance in children.