mother as primary care giver Flashcards
mother SHOULD be PCG due to INFLUENCE ON FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS
baseline for all future relationships according to bowlby’s monotropic theory
BOWLBYS THEORY- attachment to mother is different to others and of central importance, infant forms mental representation of relationship to base other relationships off (internal working model)
BAILEY ET AL- 99mums and their 1 year olds, quality of attachments, mothers who reported poor attachment with their own parents were more likely to have parents with poor attachment to them
social implication- stability of relationship could be monitored to avoid long term impact on child, pressure on mothers due to bowlbys maternal deprivation theory, may negate the role/importance of father in raising the child
mother DOESNT NEED TO BE PCG as it has NO INFLUENCE ON FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS
attachment type in infancy doesn’t determine adulthood relationships
ZIMMERMAN- assessed attachment type between 12 and 18months then revisited at 16years, very little relationship
contradicts bowlby’s theory
mother could return to work- boosts economy and personal finances.
mother SHOULD be PCG due to SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPES
females are more equipped for role due to biological and emotional factors
OESTROGEN- underlies caring behaviour
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH- uncovered firm evidence to show that womens brains are hardwired to respond to the cries of a hungry infant, asked men and women to let their minds wander, played recording of white noise interspersed with the sounds of an infant crying, brain scans showed that in women patterns of brain activity abruptly switched into an attentive mode whereas the mens brains remained in resting state.
guilt on fathers, feeling like they cant pick up on childs needs and cues
mother DOESNT NEED TO BE PCG due to SEX ROLES AND STEREOTYPES
fathers are able to adapt to the level of responsibility
NEURAL CIRCUIT STUDY- investigated 3 groups of parents: heterosexual pcg mothers, heterosexual fathers in a supporting parental role, homosexual fathers in the pcg role without the presence of a mother, it was found that maternal and paternal care have s common neural basis with slight distinctions between the two, whereas pcg fathers had high levels of connectivity in both circuits
removes negative connotations towards single dads
mother SHOULD be PCG due to FEEDING
breastfeeding helping with infants physical and emotional development
CDC- duggests that the 5 great benefits of breastfeeding are nutrition, protection against some short and long term illnesses/ diseases, antibodies shared to baby, convenience and benefits to mothers health
can make mothers feel guilty if they are unable to breastfeed for health reasons
mother DOESNT NEED TO BE PCG due to FEEDING
link between food and love is conditioned therefore anyone can build a bond through feeding.
HARLOW- cloth vs wire mother, spent most time with cloth mother as it provides tactile comfort, only went to wire mother when hungry, supports evolutionary theory of attachment
less pressure on PCG as comfort isn’t based off food
conclusion
overall there is strong evidence both for and against the role of mother as PCG. however i believe that evidence has clearly shown that males are just as capable as females in caring and providing for their child, and most arguments opposing this are based around stereotypes and the outdated view of a traditional family. if it is nit neccessary for mothers to be their childs PCG, other family members such as father or grandparents are able to play a more hand on role in the childs upbringing, allowing the mother to return to work if that is whats desired. however this will vary from family to family
