Attachment Theory In Hope Meadows Synopsis

In the narrative Hope Meadows, Wes Smith vividly and compellingly documents a pioneering project conceived by Brenda Eheart, a sociologist and visionary. Brenda Eheart became disheartened by the state of child welfare and got tired of seeing so many families involved in the foster care system broken apart because of lack of help and support from the community. The goal of Hope Meadows establishment was to tackle two critical social problems at once, the abuse and neglect of children and the all-too-common isolation experienced by lonely senior citizens.
Through persistence, Eheart obtained use of an abandoned Air Force Base in Illinois and established a community where “unadoptable” children were placed with adoptive families in a stable and

Attachment theory states that either secure or insecure bonds may form between infant and mother in the first several months of the infant’s life for the purposes of safety and security. The bond formed between infant and mother influences the quality of the relationships a child has throughout his or her life. One major reasoning of the attachment theory is that the parents are a sanctuary of safety throughout all of early childhood. Insecure attachments promote feelings of threat, rejection, and personal unworthiness. This can also be the explanation for the dream children stashing food away because of the possible threat that there,” will come a time when they will not be fed” (Smith 99).Unhealthy attachments not only lead to poor caregiver-child relationships, but can also cause a dysfunctional self-development, defective relationships, substance abuse problems, and educational difficulties. Educational difficulties can be seen in one of the dream children, Ashley Hines, when she does not reflect knowledge that she knows her numbers and colors in school, even though she does so at home (Smith 100-101). This also reflects her tendency to reject those who try to help