Attachment - Intro Flashcards
What is attachment?
Attachment is an emotional bond between an infant and their primary caregiver.
Why is attachment important?
It is considered essential for survival, providing security and comfort.
The quality of attachment can influence social, emotional, and cognitive development.
Through what behaviours can we recognise attachment?
Proximity, separation distress, and secure base behavior.
What is proximity in attachment?
People try to stay physically close to their attachment figure.
What is separation distress in attachment?
People shows signs of anxiety when an attachment figure leaves their presence.
What is secure base behavior in attachment?
Even when we are independent of our attachment figures, we tend to make regular contact with them. Babies display secure base behavior when they regularly return to their attachment figure whilst playing.
What does altricial mean?
Babies are born at an early stage of development, underdeveloped, and highly dependent on caregivers.
They rely on adults for protection, care and nurturing.
How long do altricial attachments last?
The dependency lasts for an extended period after birth, requiring strong bonds with caregivers to ensure survival and healthy development.
What are the short term benefits of altricial attachments?
Survival. The main immediate benefit of forming a bond with a caregiver is that it helps the baby stay safe and get the care it needs to survive.
What are the long term benefits of altricial attachments?
Emotional relationships. These early bonds also help the child learn how to form emotional connections with others. Acts as a model for how the children will build relationships later in life.
