Personality, Development and Attachment Flashcards
Personality refers to
individual differences in characteristic patters of thinking, feeling and behaving
For an infant to develop securely,
needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver
Attachment Theory:
- in order for an infant to develop
healthily, they need to have a
secure relationship with at least
one primary attachment figure;
consistently present and
emotionally available - the earliest relationships shape
our personalities creating an
“internal working model”
Attachment: Mother and Baby:
- generally first attachment is to
mother - both mother and baby contribute
to the building and maintaining of
attachment
What are attachment behaviours in the context of mother and baby?
actions which babies use to bring about closeness with the caregiver (crying, smiling, clinging, searching)
actions designed to make the caregiver respond to the baby and look after them boy physically and emotionally - feeding and comforting the child
The baby is a passive recipient of care.
True or False?
False
the mother, or other primary caregiver, has her own agenda of attachment mediated through her own internal working model
mother and baby are powerfully motivated to remain close to each other physically and emotionally
both become anxious if separated, after about six months the baby has developed an intense attachment to the main caregiver
from six months to three yeas baby can only tolerate separation for a limited period
In which period is the attachment shown by the baby evidenced closely linked to the mother’s responsiveness?
the first year of life
Ainsworth: The Strange Situation:
Found that style of response to being left alone is separated into three categories: secure, avoidant and ambivalent
Secure Attachment Style:
- a securely attached infant expects
their distress to be met with comfort
and reassurance - they can be soothed
and return to play - securely attached infants have
sensitive caregivers, who are
responsive and attuned to the child’s
needs in the moment (they pick up
signals of distress accurately and
respond promptly)
Avoidant (Insecure) Attachment Style:
- infant has adapted to less responsive
caregiving, they have learnt not to
seek comfort from their carer, instead
they develop strategies to manage
their feelings alone - not overtly upset and ignore mother,
when she returns but are unable to
play freely - caregivers of avoidant infants tend to
have a practical rather than personal
attitude and interact with their babies
less
Ambivalent (Insecure) Attachment Style:
- infants display high levels of vigilance,
are panicked by separation and seek
reassurance in an urgent manner, they
do not respond to soothing - cling to mother yet fight her off when
she returns - caregivers tend to respond
unpredictably to the infants needs and
are rather insensitive to their signals
Disorganised (Insecure) Attachment:
- child would behave in strange ways
when caregiver returned eg curl up in
a corner - caregiver was experienced both as a
source of fear and reassurance - a history of severe neglect or abuse is
associated with this response - can also be due to dissociative
parental behaviours
Patterns of Relating to Others: The Secure Child:
- inner representation of a lovable self
- “other” is responsive and loving
- with enjoyable interactions in an
interesting world
Patterns of Relating to Others: The Insecure-Avoidant Child:
- internal model of not being worthy of
care - “other” does not care
- forcing the child to repress longing
and anger in order not to drive the
“other” away
Patterns of Relating to Others: The Insecure-Ambivalent Child:
- internal model of self which is not
lovable - an unpredictable “other”
- “other” who has to be manipulated or
coerced into caring
