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Attachment theory & transitions - Coggle Diagram
Attachment theory & transitions
Attachment theory.
Created by Bowlby in 1958.
Focused on the concept of parenting & how experiences in a baby's early life can affect them in later life.
Drew on Lorenz's (1935) work that suggested ducklings follow the mother duck even though they can fend for themselves - the urge for a child to attach themselves to a parent.
Attachment theory - a bond that forms from a child's need to feel safe, secure & protected.
Babies have instinctive attachment - they use seeking behaviours to bring out the caregiving behaviour of older people.
Babies are triggered by other people's responses & use these to help develop their brains.
When adults respond to a baby in need they have a positive feel-good reaction to the motivation in their brain's response.
Regulating emotions.
We aren't born with the ability to regulate our emotions.
Babies can signal distress with the hope that a responsive caregiver will soothe them - this will also regulate their other emotions.
This allows them to have positive experience & internalise that sense of security by learning how to do it themselves in a healthy way.
However, some caregivers aren't reliable - when a baby's distress is not responded to, their brain is overcome with a stress hormone called cortisol which leads them to cry.
Regulation cycle - 1. baby needs something, 2. baby cries, 3. parent meets the need, 4. trust develops.
If a baby learns their adult is unreliable, it leads to high levels of uncertainty - prevents the child from learning positive patterns of self-regulation.
When the child is not soothed, they do it themselves and it is unlikely to be healthy.
Children without a responsive caregiver become more boisterous & aggressive, or subdued & withdrawn.
Assessing the quality of attachment.
Mary Ainsworth (1978) - 'Strange Situation Test'.
Assessed the quality of attachment in 12-18-month-old children.
Observed the children's behaviour when they were left in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar adult.
Securely attached children had positive memories of their parents - they would cry when they left & were happy when they returned.
Insecurely attached children reacted in different ways.
Positives of this research - helped develop the understanding of the differences between secure & insecure attachment, challenged the assumption that crying is a negative.
What does secure attachment look like?
Securely attached children see themselves as someone who is lovable & well-loved.
They feel safe with their parents - means that they know if they are feeling scared or upset, their parents will be there to help them.
Able to build emotional resilience because they trust that others will help them if something goes wrong.
They feel safe enough to take risks & explore the world around them.
Have positive relationships with the adults around them - these provide a 'secure base' to help build their confidence.
They know they are 'held in mind' by the people important to them.
Disrupt and repair.
'Disruption & repair' cycle - Schore, 1994.
Children with secure attachments know that their relationship with their parents will not be irreversibly damaged if they do something naughty, or if their parents are in a bad mood.
Able to easily restore their relationship when everyone is in a good mood again.
Links to the idea that a secure base is unconditional in its security - key feature of Bowlby's attachment theory.
Enables children to grow into adulthood with self-confidence & emotional security.
What does insecure attachment look like?
Bowlby described the insecure attachments as:
Anxious avoidant - children have learned from their parent's behaviour that it is not good for them to show emotions, so could struggle with managing emotions.
Anxious resident - children have learned that they can't know what their parent's attention will be like, so could show an ongoing want for attention.
Disorganised-disoriented - parents have been overwhelmed by personal situations & circumstances that they are struggling to cope with, so children will need support with transitions.