Attachment Flashcards
What is emotional attachment?
attachment is an emotional bond with a specific person that is enduring across space and time.
Who do babies save their biggest smile for?
Their mother
What is important to form attachment?
Synchronized routines are harmonious interactions between two people in which participants adjust their behavior to each other’s reactions.
what are the 2 early theory’s of attachment?
Psychoanalytic theory: I love you because you feed me.
Learning theory: rewardingness leads to love. I love you because it feels good.
how do Freud and Erickson view the Psychoanaltic theory? (Mother)
Mother as “analytic” love object (feeding)
Freud: Infants are “oral”: attached to mother because she provides food/feeding
Erickson: Mother’s responsiveness to child’s needs (e.g., milk, warmth, etc.) fosters trust, otherwise, mistrust
2 important things from the learning theory
- feeding elicits positive responses from a baby, which will in turn increase a caregiver’s affection for the baby;
- feeding practice is associated with many pleasant sensations beyond food, e.g., warmth, gentle touches, smile, and even a dry diaper
What is Monkey love?
Baby monkeys preferred a soft “mother” to a wire mother when scared
Wire monkey would plainly provide food
Soft mother only provided comfort
What is cognitive developmental theory to attachment?
To love you, I must know you will always be there.
They must be able to discriminate familiar people and strangers, and must have “object permanence”
What is the ethological theory to attachment?
Perhaps I was born to love.
“Imprinting”
What is the “kewpie doll” effect?
the inborn reflexes that makes them appear cute, lovable and thus elicit caregiver’s favorable attention and responses.
What is Bowbly’s Attachment Theory?
Infants will form attachments to any consistent caregiver who is sensitive and responsive in social interactions with the infant.
The quality of the social engagement appears to be more influential than amount of time spent.
What is secure base?
someone from whom the infant can confidently explore independently;
What is safe haven?
someone to whom the infant can comfortably return for emotional/physical support
How does a baby become attached?
Pre-attachment phase(birth -6 weeks)Infants produce innate signals that bring others to their side and are comforted by the interaction that follows
Attachment-in-the-making (6 weeks to 6-8 months)The phase in which infants begin to respond preferentially to familiar people
Clear-cut attachment(b/t 6-8 months -and 1.5-2 years)Infants actively seek contact with their regular caregivers and typically showing separation protest or distress when the caregiver departs
Reciprocal relationships(from 1.5-2 years on)Children take an active role in developing working partnerships with their caregivers; trus
What is the strange situation procedure?
care-giver-infant interaction;
brief separation and encounter with strangers;
reunion
What are the 3major styles of attachment?
secure attachment
ambivalent-insecure attachment
avoidant-insecure attachment.
Who added a 4th attachment styles and what is it?
Researchers Main and Solomon (1986) added a fourth attachment style known as disorganized-insecure attachment.
How does the circle of security relate to the secure attachment?
Secure attachment(~62%-68%): high in both secure base and safe haven. Securely attached infants actively explore while alone with mother, outgoing with stranger when mother is present, visually upset by separation, greets the mother warmly when she returns, often seeks physical contact with her if highly distressed.
How does the circle of security relate to the avoidant attachment?
Insecure avoidant attachment(~15%): high secure base but low safe haven
These children seem indifferent toward their caregiver.
They show little distress by separation.
They are avoidant or ignore when the caregiver returns.
They may socialize with and ignore the stranger in the same way.
If they were left alone, they are as easily comforted by a stranger as by the caregiver
How does the circle of security relate to the ambivalent attachment?
Insecure resistant (or ambivalent) attachment (~15%): low secure base but high safe haven. These infants try to stay with mother, explore little and wary of strangers even while mother is present, become very upset by separation, and are not readily comforted by strangers.
How does the circle of security relate to the disorganized attachment?
Disorganized/disoriented attachment. (~15%): low in both.
Most distressed by stranger and separation. have no consistent way of stress coping.
How do each attachment style represent the caregivers behaviour?
(Attachment) —— (caregiver behaviour) Secure ——- sensitive to signals and available Ambivalent —— inconsistent Avoidant —— rejecting or overbearing Disorganized—-neglect or physical abuse
What is the internal working model?
the cognitive representation of the self (lovable, unworthy), others (reliable vs. unreliable), and self-other relationship.
Explain the stability between the self and other for each attachment style.
Positive self + positive others: secure / autonomous. High self-esteem and value relationship
Positive self + negative others: avoidant / dismissed. High self value but devalue relationship
Negative self + positive others: resistant / preoccupied. Low self-esteem and highly rely on others
Negative self + Negative others: disorganized/disoriented /
