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Ainsworth's Attachment Theory Analysis

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The attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth is an essential key that explains many child-parent relationships and the influence it has on development. Attachment is a process that begins during infancy in an individual’s life and can have long lasting effects. Bowlby’s theory concluded that the bonds formed between a caregiver and a child during the early years were the blueprints for future relationships. Ainsworth’s “strange situation” experiments and numerous studies tested Bowlby’s original theory and expanded on it. This paper will provide an overview on the research that has been conducted on the effects of attachment patterns on an individual’s early and later development.

Keywords: Attachment—Attachment theory—Attachment …show more content…

Insecure attachment is “characterized by fear, anxiety, anger, or indifference.” (Berger 2014, pg.193). An infant becomes insecurely attached to his caregiver when the child has learned that there are no positive effects to emotional expressions. For example, when a caregiver allows the child to “cry it out” and is unresponsive to the child’s needs, the child will learn that his needs will not be fulfilled by others. This results in the child not being able to develop any emotional awareness and might feel emotionally detached from his caregiver. Insecure attachment affects a child’s brain development which in turn impacts interactions with others, resilience, confidence and the ability to explore their environments. Insecure attachment contributes to “cognitive vulnerability to depression, specifically, dysfunctional attitudes.” (Lee & Hankin, 2009). Some characteristics of an insecurely attached child includes the inability to deal with stress, low self esteem, a lack of self control, and pseudo-independent behaviors. These children often behave as if they know that adults are inconsistently available. They do not seek an adult for help when in distress or dealing with a situation, or they avoid the caregiver

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The last insecure attachment is known as disorganized which usually results in relationship and behavioral patterns for the children later in

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The quality of one’s early attachments style as infants, determines the pathways of psychosocial development for the future as they develop in adults (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). The correlation between psychosocial functioning, self-confidence, independence, and social skills, maybe due to the result of infants whom experienced medical problems and or environmental influences. Some of these influences may have negative impact as it may have developed deficiencies in their lifespan development Presenting Issues-Description Oliva Crane is now 19, developing in young adulthood, returning into counseling during a term break home from college. Her mother Carol, is concerned about Oliva’s social development, as she appears more depressed than usual.

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Bowlby, Harlow, and Ainsworth each had unique positions on infant attachment and adult relationships. All three researchers pointed out that children become attached or unattached depending on the amount and type of love and affection they receive from birth. Each had a different way of creating their study. Harlow used baby monkeys taken from their mothers and replacing mom with either a metal or a terry cloth covered mom.

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Some children that have been grossly mistreated, neglected or abused fail to create secure attachments. Secure attachment is vital to the formation of the Childs sense of self and others that pave the way and sets up the course that guides the emotional and behavioral reactions that follow him through life (Hornor, 2008). It has been shown that failure to have positive experiences as well as abuse and neglect causes those memory systems to be filled with fear, mistrust and rejection (Mikic & Terradas, 2014). Since children with RAD learn at an early age not to trust their primary caregivers to attend to their needs, they learn how to fend for themselves which leads to many antisocial behaviors that continue into adulthood. Studies have shown that children with Reactive Attachment Disorder have neurological

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Thus, suggesting that caregiver relationships are crucial to children’s psychological and physical survival. As infants are unable to verbalize their thoughts, crying is used as a means of communication and interaction between the infant and caregiver. Caring for an Infant

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Attachment theory suggests it is the quality of the relationship between the child and caregiver, which ultimately influences development (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011). Ideally, the child and caregiver should express attunement to one another (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011). Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment differentiated the securely attached child from the insecure child through the child’s reaction to the return of her caregiver after periods of separation (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011). The securely attached child “actively greet(s) and initiate(s) interaction with the caregiver upon reunion” (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011, p. 4). The securely attached child develops a positive “internal working model” (Schore & Schore, 2008, p. 12), influencing self-efficacy.

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One of the main theories in Developmental psychology is the attachment theory that was devised by Bowlby (1969) and was added to in 1973, by Mary Ainsworth. The attachment theory surrounds the bond between a primary care giver and a baby. They believe that attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space. In 1930 Bowlby worked as a psychiatrist in a children’s unit, where he treated many emotionally disturbed children, this lead him to consider the relationship between mother and child and the impact that could have on the child’s development. Bowlby believed that the attachment process was an all or nothing process and that you either were attached or were not attached.

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Attachment issues can cause physical problems, such as failure to thrive, as well as emotional disorders like depression, failure to form attachments to caregivers, or mental-health disturbances. The more times a child is moved, the less likely he is to form secure attachments. Between 33 and 66 percent of foster-care arrangements are disrupted during the first two years, reports developmental psychologist, Brenda Jones Harden in "Safety and Stability for Foster Children," an article published in the winter 2004 issue of the journal The Future of Children. Kids with attachment issues might be distrustful and suspicious, unable to follow rules, or appear to have no sense of guilt over their behavior. Some attach too easily to any adult that try tries to care for them, but on a shallow level and to meet

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Social workers must be familiar with attachment theory for several reasons. One example is how a person has developed attachment will greatly influence how they connect with and maintain relationships in their lives. Moreover, having a firm grasp of attachment theory provides a social worker with a starting point to assess their client and subsequently determine an appropriate course of action to help a client obtain healthier and fulfilling relationships. For social workers to identify the attachment styles of an individual they must be familiar with the patterns of attachment and the characteristics of each. The most common and desirable forms of the attachment patterns is secure attachment.

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Attachment is very important in a child’s life, but if a child is not attached to anyone it can make their future very hard. “Abused and neglected children (in or out of foster care) are at great risk for not forming healthy attachments to anyone. Having at least 1 adult who is devoted to and loves a child unconditionally, who is prepared to accept and value that child for a long time, is key to helping a child overcome the stress and trauma of abuse and neglect,” Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption and Dependent Care (2000). Developmental Issues for Young Children in Foster Care. AAP News & Journals Gateway.

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Securely attached children have the capacity to be connected with their and others emotions and can talk about it easily. They are aware of the main elements of positive relationship building and are capable of building relationships with certain expectations. They have better coping mechanisms and have healthier way of relieving their pain and trauma. Insecure attachment is found in the children who weren't able to establish a mutual relationship with their primary caretaker or parent. It can be caused by various reasons: if the child is never sure if he his needs are going to be met, or if the parent is going to respond with anxiety, stress or if the parent is going to just ignore the needs.

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In the opposite direction, insecure attachments, has negative impact on child overall development for instance they are be able to manage their emotions or engage in reciprocal relationships. In a longitudinal study by Waters, Merrick, Treboux, & Albersheim (2000), they monitored 50 individuals over a period of 20 years found that there is a stable secured attachment over that period, with a greater percentile for individuals without any major negative life events, and less stable (less than 50%) for those who had experienced a major negative

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Since the ‘50s, Bowlby worked alone and with distinguished colleagues such as psychoanalyst James Robertson, ethologist/zoologist Robert Hinde and psychologist Mary Ainsworth on several different studies. Bowlby suggested that due to the attachment between children and their carers, children suffer loss when they are separated. Bowlby’s study with the ethologist Robert Hinde, inspired the idea that certain attachment behaviours have evolved as a survival mechanism (Bergen, 2008). The core of the theory today is that the quality of close relationships affects personality, emotional and social development not only in childhood but throughout the life of the individual (Howe, 2001). This suggests that attachment theory is effectively a biological, psychological and social theory of human development.

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The experiment was done in a room with a one way glass to observe the infant. Different situations were given to the infant to determine the infant’s attachment style, the mother of the infant would leave the room and the infant would be left with the experimenter or the experimenter would leave the room and leave the mother and infant alone. How the infant reacts to the situation is used to determine the attachment style of the infant. Infants with secure attachment style would be distressed every time the mother would leave, the infant avoids the stranger when the mother leaves and when the mother returns the infant becomes happier. Infants with ambivalent attachment attachment style get distressed whenever the mother leaves, and avoids the stranger when left alone.

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Through factors such as cognitive development of the infant, attentive care and intimate interactions with a primary caregiver, the attachment relationship is created – shaping the infants- caregiver bond. By examining the interactions between an infant and their primary caregiver, we can identify secure, insecure and disorganized attachment (Ainsworth, 1978; Cassidy 1994); which can reveal a great deal about the relationship between the infant and attachment figure. Overall, the quality of attachment bonds formed in the early years can have long lasting effects on an infant’s emotional security and social competence; not only shaping their ability to form relationships, but laying the foundations for the social, emotional and mental development of the

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