Attachment Flashcards
Why is a secure attachment good??
Secure attachments to main caregiver means the child feels secure and loved and has a sense of belonging.
Secure attachments in childhood lead to happier and healthier attachments with others in the future.
Who are the caregivers and what do they do??
Caregivers are the secure base for children, they are protectors and help the child to feel happy, secure and confident.
Parents ensure the children have the physical, mental and emotional nourishment to develop healthily.
What are the consequences for bad attachments??
A mistrust of caregivers or adults in a authority could develop.
Insecure attachments can lead to behaviour issues, lack of ability to receive affection or manipulative behaviour.
Children may not develop a secure base necessary to cope with life events.
Theories of attachment??
Bowlby refers to attachment as a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects a child to their primary caregiver.
Healing to be importance of social, emotional and cognitive development to their relationship that the child had with their mother.
Was Bowlbys theory of attachment nature or nurture??
Nature as he believes children were biologically preprogrammed to form attachments.
He believed infants have a universal need to seek close proximity with their caregiver when under stress of feeling threatened.
What were the problems Bowlby associated with early separation from the primary caregiver??
Separation anxiety - and intense distress when separated from their mothers, the anxiety didn’t disappear when fed by another carer.
Critics of Bowlby’s theory??
Critics argue that Bowlby oversimplified his theory.
Writer argues that maternal deprivation (not having a mother) may not result in long-term problems, instead he suggests that privation (no attachment) is far more damaging.
Office believe attachments are influenced by external factors (nurture) such as the environment and culture.
Schaffer and Emerson’s theory of attachment??
Suggest that babies are most likely to form attachments to caregivers who respond effectively to their signals, this may not be their mothers or who they spend the most time with.
This is referred to as sensitive responsiveness.
The most important factor in forming attachments, therefore, is not the adult who feeds and changes the baby but the adult who plays and communicates with them.
Schaffer and Emerson’s sequence of attachment:
Up to 3 months:
Babies respond indiscriminately to any caregiver.
Schaffer and Emerson’s sequence:
3-7months:
Infants can distinguish the difference between their main caregiver and other people.
Accept care from others.
Schaffer and Emerson’s sequence:
7-9months:
Infant look to particular people for security, comfort and protection.
Shows fear of strangers and unhappiness when separated from main caregiver.
Stranger anxiety.
Schaffer and Emerson’s sequence:
Baby becomes more independent and forms several attachments (multiple attachments).
Why is good parenting important??
Babies need strong attachments in order to be emotionally and socially well developed.
Good attachments = more likely to have more confidence, higher self-esteem, so less demanding behaviour.
What factors can affect the attachment process??
Prematurity:
Cannot be picked up and held.
Factors affecting attachment process??
Post-natal depression:
Some mothers are depressed after birth, PND may affect mothers ability to bond with her baby.
