Attachment Theory Lecture Notes PDF

1 Attachment Chapter 10 March 18, 2024 Harlow’s Attachment Studies with Monkeys Bowlby’s Ethological Perspective on Attachment Attachment is an adaptive behavior that evolved because it contributed to survival of the human species. Signaling behaviors: behaviors aimed at bringing caregivers into con...

1 Attachment Chapter 10 March 18, 2024 Harlow’s Attachment Studies with Monkeys Bowlby’s Ethological Perspective on Attachment Attachment is an adaptive behavior that evolved because it contributed to survival of the human species. Signaling behaviors: behaviors aimed at bringing caregivers into contact with infants For example: crying, smiling, cooing, and clinging 3 Bowlby’s Ethological Perspective on Attachment Stages of attachment formation: 1. Indiscriminate Social Responsiveness (birth to 2 months) 2. Discriminating Sociability (2 through 6–7 months) 3. Attachments (7–24 months) 4. Reciprocal Relationships (24–30 months and onward) 4 Bowlby’s Ethological Perspective on Attachment Secure Base: a foundation for an infant to return to when frightened Separation Protest (Separation Anxiety): reaction to separations from attachment figure characterized by fear, distress, crying, and whining Internal Working Model: set of expectations about one’s worthiness of love, the availability of attachment figures during times of distress, and how one will be treated 5 Mary Ainsworth Canadian-American Psychologist Strange Situation: structured observational procedure that reveals security of attachment when infant is placed under stress Ainsworth’s Strange Situation 7 4 types of attachment: Secure Attachment: display stranger anxiety and separation protest; uses mother as secure base Insecure Avoidant Attachment: not distressed and not enthusiastic about reunion Insecure Resistant: mixed pattern of responses to mother Insecure Disorganized Attachment: inconsistent, contradictory behavior 8 Example: Insecure-Avoidant Attachment Caregiver sensitivity associated with secure attachment Caregiver’s ability to consistently and sensitively respond to child’s signals Schoenmaker et al., 2015 Maternal Sensitivity in infancy Attachment Infancy Maternal Sensitivity at age 7 Maternal Sensitivity at age 14 Attachment Age 14 Attachment Age 23 10 Stability of secure attachment Secure attachment likely to remain secure in childhood – but can change Infants can form multiple secure attachments! Cultural Variation in Attachment Infants in many countries approach Strange Situation in similar ways Different cultural interpretations of infant behaviors in Strange Situation 12 Attachment-Related Outcomes in Childhood and Adolescence Secure attachments linked with a host of positive developmental outcomes: Early childhood: more sociable, more positive interactions, social competence, better able to read others’ emotion, and more positive self-concept Middle childhood and adolescence: more social competence, better at making and keeping friends, greater emotion regulation skills, higher self-esteem, peer competence, and less delinquency 13 Adult Attachment Childhood attachment predicts internal working models and relationship quality in early adulthood. Four types of adult attachments: Based on attachment anxiety and avoidance (1) Secure, (2) anxious, (3) avoidant, and (4) disorganized Adult attachment influences parenting behaviors. 14 Any Questions or Thoughts?