Attachment theory Flashcards
Developed attachment theory
John Bowlby
The person Bowlby described as a baby’s ‘principle attachment figure’, decided by 1-3 months old
Primary caregiver
Idea that a baby or child has a bias towards one caregiver
Monotropy
Other attachment figures towards a baby or child who are not the primary caregiver
Subsidiary attachment figures
Age at which babies show indiscriminate attachment where they are happy to be handled by strangers
2-6 months
Age at which separation anxiety is common
10-18 months
The critical period for attachment to develop
6-36 months
Experiment which gave baby monkeys the choice between a soft cloth ‘mother’ who provided no food, and a wire ‘mother’ who gave out food.
Harlow’s monkeys
Type of ‘mother’ Harlow’s monkeys chose to spend more time with
Cloth mother who gave no food
Psychologist who developed the ‘strange situation procedure’ in order to study attachment in babies
Mary Ainsworth
Situation 1 in the strange situation experiment
Mother and infant enter the room
Situation 2 in the strange situation experiment
A stranger joins
Situation 3 in the strange situation experiment
Mother leaves infant with stranger
Situation 4 in the strange situation experiment
Mother returns and stranger leaves
Situation 5 in the strange situation experiment
Mother leaves infant alone
Situation 6 in the strange situation experiment
Stranger returns to infant
Situation 7 in the strange situation experiment
Mother returns to infant and stranger leaves
Original three types seen in Ainsworth’s strange situation
Anxious avoidant
Secure
Anxious resistant
Percentage of children with secure attachment type
70%
Percentage of children with anxious avoidant attachment type
15%
Percentage of children with anxious resistant attachment type
15%
Behaviour of children with anxious avoidant attachment type
Distressed when alone but not specifically distressed by mother leaving
Mother and stranger can comfort child equally well
Behaviour of children with secure attachment type
Plays independently when mother present
Distressed by mother leaving
Comforted by mother but not stranger
Behaviour of children with anxious resistant attachment type
Intense distress on mother leaving
Avoids stranger even when mother present
Approaches mother for comfort on return but avoids contact
Behaviour of children with anxious resistant attachment type
Intense distress on mother leaving
Avoids stranger even when mother present
Approaches mother for comfort on return but avoids contact
Type of attachment associated with responsive parenting
Secure
Type of attachment associated with inconsistent parenting
Anxious resistant
Type of attachment associated with unresponsive parenting
Anxious avoidant
Fourth type of attachment sometimes described by Ainsworth
Disorganised
Can attachment style vary with different caregivers
Yes
Devised the adult attachment interview following on from Ainsworth’s work
Mary Main
Adult attachment style associated with secure child attachment
Autonomous
Adult attachment style associated with anxious avoidant child attachment
Dismissing
Adult attachment style associated with anxious resistant child attachment
Entangled
Adult attachment style associated with disorganised child attachment
Unresolved
Term for loss of a loved one as a child due to a period of separation e.g. a hospital admission
Anaclitic depression
Rutter’s two forms of poor attachment
Deprivation
Privation
Type of attachment described by Rutter where attachment is formed but then lost temporarily. Can lead to clingy behaviour, psychosomatic complaints and aggression.
Deprivation
Rare form of attachment described by Rutter where attachment never forms. Leads to antisocial behaviour, lack of guilt and attention seeking.
Privation
Personality type described by Rutter in cases of privation
Affectionless psychopathy
Type of learning seen where a young animal is highly sensitive to a stimulus and it provokes a certain type of behaviour e.g. young goslings following the first moving object they see
Imprinting
Four stages of attachment according to Bowlby
Preattachment
Attachment in the making
Clear cut attachment
Formation of reciprocal attachment
Age at Bowlby’s stage of preattachment
Birth to 6 weeks
Age at Bowlby’s stage of attachment in the making
6 weeks to 6-8 months
Age at Bowlby’s stage of clear cut attachment
6-8 months to 18-24 months
Age at Bowlby’s stage of formation of reciprocal attachment
18 months to 2 years and onwards
Stage within Bowlby’s stages of attachment where the baby orientates towards the mother, but is comfortable with unfamiliar people
Preattachment
Stage within Bowlby’s stages of attachment where the baby begins to show different reactions to familiar vs. unfamiliar people, but does not show separation anxiety
Attachment in the making/indiscriminate attachment
Stage within Bowlby’s stages of attachment where the baby shows distress when separated from the caregiver, and has a preference for selective caregivers
Clear cut attachment
Stage within Bowlby’s stages of attachment where the child begins to understand their caregiver may leave and return, and separation anxiety lessons. They begin to find other ways to get their needs met by their caregiver e.g. sulking
Formation of reciprocal attachment
Look associated with disorganised attachment behaviour
Frozen and dazed
Additional fourth attachment type sometimes described in Ainsworth’s strange situation
Disorganised
Type of attachment sometimes seen in babies whose mother experienced abuse as a child
Disorganised
Type of adult attachment style in the adult attachment interview characterised by the ability to talk freely about both positive and negative experiences during childhood
Autonomous
Type of adult attachment style in the adult attachment interview characterised by minimising childhood experiences
Dismissing
Type of adult attachment style in the adult attachment interview characterised by emotionally laden answers and rambling about their childhood experiences
Entangled
Type of adult attachment style in the adult attachment interview characterised by broken continuity and an illogical flow of thoughts
Unresolved
Childhood disorder associated with poor attachment
Oppositional defiant disorder
Age at which attachment behaviour peaks
12-18 months
Age at which there is lessoning of attachment behaviour and the attachment figure can be substituted
School age
Age at which infants show preferential orientation towards selected people
5-7 months
Age at which stranger anxiety develops
7-9 months
Age at which attachment behaviour becomes evident
7-9 months
Stages in an acute separation reaction, when a child is separated from its attachment figure
Protest
Despair
Detachment
Age of children in the strange situation test
12-18 months
Emotional state in which attachment behaviour is most evident
Stressed
Described anaclitic depression among children deprived of their primary care giver
Spitz
Term for a mother’s attachment to her child
Bonding
Term for a father’s attachment to his child
Engrossment
First described imprinting
Spalding
Popularised imprinting
Lorenz
Concept where individuals’ close proximity in early years reduces later sexual attraction
Reverse sexual imprinting
