Attachment

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Attachment

• A deep and enduring connection established
  between a child and caregiver in the first
  several years of life.

2
Attachment

• Basic trust and reciprocity
• Exploration
• Self-regulation
• Identity
• Prosocial moral framework
• Core belief system
• Defense against stress/trauma

3
Attachment

• Established in the context of a relationship that
  includes
• touch
• eye contact
• smile and positive affect
• need fulfillment

4
Secure Attachment

• Self-esteem
• Independence/autonomy
• Resilience
• Impulse control
• Long-term friendships
• Relationships with authority figures (including
  parents)
• Prosocial coping skills
• Trust, intimacy and affection
• Positive belief systems
• Empathy, compassion, and conscience
• Behavioral performance and academic success
• Promote secure attachment with own children

5
Disrupted Attachment

• Low self-esteem
• Needy, clingy or pseudo-independent
• Decompensate under stress
• Lack self-control
• Unable to develop/maintain friendships
• Alienated from/oppositional with parents other
  authority figures
• Antisocial attitudes/behaviors
• Aggression/violence
• Incapable of genuine trust, intimacy, affection
• Negative, hopeless, pessimistic view
• Lack empathy, compassion, remorse
• Behavior/academic problems
• Perpetuate cycle

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History of Attachment Theory

• John Bowlby
• Affectionless/homeless children
• Ethology
• Bowlby conclusions
• instinctual behaviors keep mother close
• smile is a social releaser
• certain conditions increase attachment
• maternal deprivation/separation traumatic
• loss causes pathological mourning

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Attachment History

• Harry Bakwin
• James Robertson- stages of emotional reaction to
  loss/separation
• Harry Harlow

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History of Attachment

• Mary Ainsworth
• Uganda Study
• Secure Base
• Phases of Attachment
• undiscriminating
• differential responsiveness
• separation anxiety
• active initiation
• stranger anxiety

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Mary Ainsworth

• Strange Situation
• Attachment Patterns
• Secure
• Insecure
• Ambivalent
• Avoidant
• Disorganized

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Adolescents

• Parents still important
• Boy-girl friendships and dates
• Dating Dunphys phases
• Initiation Status Affection Bonding
• Friendships More intimacy
• Friends similar psychologically
• Cliques and crowds
• Increased conformity

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The Adult

• Social networks shrink
• Closer to family
• Romantic attachments
• Adult friendships valued
• Important to have one confidant

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Emotions in Infancy

• Timing of emotions biologically programmed
• Tied to cognitive maturation
• Evolved to ensure that caregivers respond
• Social referencing by 10-12 months
• monitor reactions in others to help define
  situation, regulate behavior and emotions
• Modeling, imitation, reinforcement

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Figure 14.1
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Childhood Peers

• Important for social development
• Piaget equal power among peers
• Requires cooperation, negotiation skills
• Sullivan Peers important after age 6
• Changing interpersonal needs
• Harris Parental influence is overrated
• Peers more important for development

16
Peer Relations

• 18 mo first peers
• Turn taking
• Reciprocal play
• Age 2-12 increasing time spent
• Same sex peers
• Similar age and play preferences

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Peer Acceptance

• Sociometric techniques
• Most popular kids
• Attractive, intelligent
• Socially competent
• Rejected kids
• Highly aggressive
• Socially isolated, overly sensitive, submissive

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Play

• Age 1-2 Pretend play
• Age 2-5 Social play
• Age 5-6 Rule-based games
• By age 11-2 Rule flexibility
• Play is beneficial
• Cognitive development
• Social skills