Mother as primary caregiver Flashcards
Freud
Was the forefront of development psychology. Mother provides the needs for the libido in the oral stage. Her feeding the child could lead to over indulgence (gullibility and optimism) and frustrate (pessimism and envy) creating permanent features of personality. When a child realises that separation anxiety will occur, a feature of attachment that has been widely supported by modern psychologists such as Ainsworth and bell.
‘unique without parallel laid down unilaterally for a whole life time as the first and strongest love object’
Quote from Freud to describe the relationship of mother and infant. This implies that the only person who can do the job of primary caregiver Is the mother, and there is no substitute. To have another adult in this role could damage future psychological health and well being
Bowlby
Supports this. He suggested that children form and ‘internal working model’ or template for all future relationships based on the one they shared with the primary caregiver. This model will shape their attachment type and hence all future relationships. Also took an evolutionary stance where he suggested that a child would attach primarily to one care giver more strongly to ensure their survival (monotropy.) The first two years of life is known as the critical period, and any disruption or break in the attachment during this period would have negative long term consequences e.g aggression and delinquency.
Continuity hypothesis
The fundamental idea that relationships in childhood determine types of relationship that child will have later in adulthood
44 Juvenile Thieves
Created 5 aetiologies of abnormal characters associated with stealing: possible genetics, prolonged separation from the mother, mothers who are ambivalent or hostile, fathers who showed hatred towards child and traumatic events in later childhood. it was concluded that the only significant aetiology for delinquency was prolonged separation from mother, however the other factors may have lead to unstable or maladapted children
Social implications
The NHS and WHO recommend that la babies are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their life, as it provides them with the healthiest start. This can only be done by the mother, and therefore supports the argument that the mother should stay at him as the primary caregiver of the infant.
Why?
The release of the hormone oxytocin in the mother when breastfeeding promotes bonding between the mother and baby, making her more like to interact and care for the baby than other caregivers (especially with the increase of oxytocin receptors in the female brain during pregnancy, making her more susceptible to the bonding effects) The more a baby is interacted with and cared for the more oxytocin is released in their own brains, making the relationship reciprocal, developing trust and emotional stability.
Belsky
Children who spend extensive time in the care of non relatives are more likely to show later behavioural problems such as aggressiveness and disobedience. Furthermore, children who were cared for by relatives showed behavioural problems.
Aric Sigman
Infants have higher cortisol rates in day care. This hormones is linked to stress related illnesses such as heart disease, detail and illness frequency.
Schafer and Emerson
Demonstrated that infants have multiple attachment. From birth to seven. months babies had indiscriminate attachment they enjoyed the company of any adult, For a very short time (7-9 months) the babies have a special attachment. the mother was the attachment figure for about half of the children at 18 months and the father was for most of the others.
Most important factor in forming attachments is not who feeds and changes the child, but who play and communicates with him or her. Therefore responsiveness appear to be the key attachment. Means that if mother is not the most responsive adult in the infants life, she does not have to be the primary care-giver. In fact, it may be detrimental for her to be so, given that an alternative adult may be able to engage more with the infant.
Rutter
He retested Bowlby’s 44 thieves study with 2000 boys on the Isle of Wight. He used interviews with the boys and their families to see if the boys who had experienced operation early in life turned to crime later on. He found that boys from homes with psychological disorders, stress and arguments were 4 times more likely to turn to crime, but when spereation was due to death or illness, the boy would be unlucky to turn to crime. He concluded that it was due to conflict and stress which came before the separations that was the cause of anti social behaviour. also completed research on Romanian orphans
Harlow
Used monkeys to show the importance of comfort in the care-giving bond. When given the choice between a warm cloth mother and a wire mother that provided food, they constantly sought to the comfort of the cloth mother when frightened. Even if the mother breastfeed, infants can still seek attachments with fathers.
Feldman
Levels of oxytocin rises in men when they become parents. Measured oxytocin levels for first tome fathers during 6 months after their Childs birth. found high prolactin was associated when encouraging their child to explore and interact with new toys.
Social
Women make up a lot of workforce. Given 12 months parental leave. First 9 months is paid, parents is given 90% of their average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then around £151 for the next 33 weeks. Most mothers return to work when maternity pay ends, as they can’t afford to leave their work without pay. This is not enough money for someone to pay rent/mortgage and also nappies and appliances.
Social
UK gov only offer 20% of average salary for the first 6 weeks. Sweden offers 80% of earnings for 12 months, 18 months leave. Croatia offers 12 months off and 100% pay.
