Reflecting on Mahler’s terminology of separation- individuation, and Bowlby and Ainsworth’s attachment style regarding child development process, it easy for someone to suspect that two different things are being discussed however; one can hypothesize that Mahler is stating that separation is necessary for individuation while Bowlby and Ainsworth attachment theory, stresses, that individuation occurs optimally, within the framework of secure attachment (Goldstein, 1995).…
Many researchers have studied attachment; however, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth are the researchers responsible for the origination of the attachment theory, therefore also becoming catalysts for the research of attachment in the late eighteenth century. Attachment, as defined by Ainsworth, is “‘an affectional tie’ that an infant forms with a caregiver—a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time” (Berger, 2014, p. 142). Furthermore, as described in Berger, the attachment theory assesses the behaviors associated with four identified types of infant attachment. These four types include secure, insecure-resistant/ambivalent, insecure avoidant, and disorganized attachment. Berger defines each of these types as follows: securely…
Contrasting and comparing the work of Harry Harlow (1962) with the work of Mary Ainsworth (1953) on understanding attachment in children, shows that attachment is not based in cupboard love (the provision of food by the mother or the primary care giver) but is mainly formed through contact comfort and the sensitive responsiveness to the child’s signals provided by the mother or by the primary care giver. Mary Ainsworth’s study and research called “Strange Situation” provides a time-saving and effective way of assessing attachment in children showing that different attachment categories develop under different situations and is also cross-cultural.…
The Open Boat by Stephen Crane is a story describing four men that are trapped together in a small boat or dingy. The men aboard the boat are a captain, a correspondent, an oiler, and a cook. The men were aboard a larger boat that crashed off the coast of Florida and are now searching for the safety of a light house they remember. After making a homemade sail and some brisk paddling they finally get near the coast. They spot some people and begin to signal for help but the people only respond with friendly waves. The tide is much too strong to swim to shore so they paddle back out to sea a ways and wait for it to calm. While waiting they get approached by a shark. The large fish circles in such a way that death searches for the next victim it will claim. The men keep rowing and head toward shore. Upon arriving a reasonable distance from the shore, the captain announces that when the boat is about to sink that they will all jump and swim for shore. The oiler, cook, and correspondent evacuate the boat and swim for the sandy beach. The captain stays close to the boat because his injury inhibits his swimming ability. They are having trouble completely the journey to safety when a naked man comes and helps the correspondent and cook on shore. These two men alongside the captain are warmly welcomed by many. The oiler, however, is only welcomed by a sandy grave. The four men each represent four different members of society. The captain represents the leaders; the cook the followers; the oiler the workers; and the correspondent the observers and thinkers. These men must learn to work together and thrive off of one another’s strengths and make up for the other’s weaknesses. Each of these men are very different but the fury of nature does not discriminate against any man.…
On the other hand, a child with an insecure-avoidant attachment would be happy to explore, and there would be low stranger anxiety, the child would treat the stranger indifferently to the mother. Some separation protest can be shown, and the child may become distressed. However, when the mother returns they will carry on doing what they were before her return as they do not use the caregiver to provide comfort.…
Attachment theory is a psychological theory which investigates the bond between individuals; it in effect refers primarily to the relationship and bond between a baby and their primary caregiver. Early attachment research was conducted through experiments with animals. Dependency on a presence of another being as an infant is essential to survival within all species. As Psychoanalyst Winnicott (1964: p.88) observed…
Born On: 21st or 25th of November, 1936 (his birth certificate was lost when traveling).…
Ainsworth experiment Attachment. Something that all humans develop naturally. We all become attached to something and/or someone throughout our lifetime. You see this in very young children, but have you ever wondered why you see it more in some than you do in others? Have you ever wondered why sometimes in twins you get a baby that is all about cuddling and being carried and one twin that would much rather walk and lay by his or herself.…
Ainsworth and Wittig devised the strange situation to be able to test the nature of attachment systematically. The aim was to see how infants that were aged between 9 and 18 months behave under conditions of mild stress and also novelty. Stress is created in the strange situations by the presence of a stranger and by separation from a caregiver. This tests stranger anxiety and separation anxiety respectively. The strange situation also aims to encourage exploration by placing infants in a novel situation and thus tests the secure base concept.…
Attachment is when you get a strong reciprocal, emotional bond between two people like with a mother and infant. The attachment acts as a basis for further emotional and psychological development. Following on from the study carried out by Schaffer and Emerson (1964) on the phases of development in attachment, Ainsworth and Bell (1978) investigated individual differences in attachment using the Strange Situation. They hoped that their method of assessing attachments would be a reliable and valid measure of attachments. The Strange Situation test lasted approximately 20 minutes and involved the observation of an American infant (12 to 18 months) in a controlled observation room. The procedure consisted of 7 stressful episodes each lasting 3 minutes, depending on the reaction of the infant. The first episode involved the infant exploring the room in the presence of the caregiver. A stranger then entered the room, followed by the discreet departure of the caregiver. The caregiver would then return, and the reaction of the child would be recorded. The stranger would then leave the room. There was 3 clear groups of infants from the recorded results that were collected. One group greeted the mother on her return, this shows that the child was securely attached. Another group showed distress all around the room and rejected the mother on return, this is called an insecure resistant child. The final type of child found from the results was a child that didn’t orientate the room in which they were in, and they didn’t show any interest in their mothers return. This is called an insecure avoidant child.…
Ainsworth ‘Strange Situation’ study aim was to investigate what type of attachment the infants had to their caregiver. Therefore, Ainsworth used 12 to 18 months infants in an experiment to test this. Ainsworth had several conditions to allow the observer to identify what reaction the infants are showing and hence, which attachment type. In a play area room, the infant and mother spent some time playing, suddenly the mother leaves (reaction of baby will be observed), then she will come back and reaction of the baby will be analysed again. Then a stranger will enter the room (analysing the infants reaction and behaviour), then mother leaves (analysing the infant reaction and behaviour) and mother enters again. Ainsworth found that there are three types of attachment, 70% were secure attachment, 15% insecure avoidant and 15% insecure ambivalent (resistant).…
In the development through the lifespan textbook, Feldman mentions that the most important part of a child's life is attachment. It all starts when an infant at the end of the first year develops stranger and separation anxiety (Feldman, 2007). When children are around their parents and other caregivers, they feel safe at all times. When a child is around someone who is a stranger and not their caregiver, they're more likely to experience fear. According to John Bowlby's view of attachment, attachment is needed for children to feel safe and secure around their parents.…
Ainsworth observations, `the strange situation` procedure highlight emotional bond that connects mother/infant, she believed, much like Bowlby 1969(Farrington-Flint 2014 p 77) that responding sensitively and appropriately to the child’s requirement, such behaviour appears universal across cultures. Attachment theory provides an explanation of how the parent/child relationship materializes and influences development, this is supported by Psychologist Bowlby, Harlow, Lorenz theories of attachments. Bowlby also suggested a child forms one primary attachment initially, acting as a model for all future social relationships towards others, peers and personal relationships so disrupting it can have consequences. Whereas John Watson (Farrington-Flint 2014 p 133) proposed through the process of conditioning, explaining aspects of attachments though patterns of stimulus and reaction. The nature via nurture debate continues, and appears that a mixture of both enhances attachments. However the question remains can attachments if delayed be rebuilt over time of which it can but with some consequences as seen in The Open University (2014) ‘Feral children’ which focus on nature/nurture factors in cases such as feral children, Romanian orphans, highlighting extreme…
There are several attachment styles that a child can develop in infancy. Ainsworth (1971) divided these into secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant, when working on her ‘Strange Situation’ research. The characteristics we associate with attachment styles will provide a child with a set of beliefs about themselves and the nature of relationships with others. These attachment styles can be seen as a indicator of the nature of their future adult relationships. For example, someone who is securely attached as a child can expect to have similar relationships throughout life.…
Have you ever been called "ugly"? Have you ever been called "Fat"? Has someone made you feel totally insecure about your appearance? Everyone in this room has probably been bullied at least once in their life. It’s not the best feeling is it? It makes you feel insecure, humiliated and very uncomfortable. It has the power to destroy lives, mentally and physically. Studies have showed that 1 out of 6 students are harassed or bullied at least once a week in UK schools. An alarming fact is that 40% of suicide victims had been bullied at school.…