Child Development: Healthy Attachment - Essay Example

When the caregiver gives a timely response to the infant, this gives rise to trust. This is what Erikson has also talked about in Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. In the first stage, trust versus mistrust, the infant forms trust on the caregivers when his needs are fulfilled and forms an attachment with them. When the infant feels otherwise, he learns to mistrust others (NECChildcare, 2008). Attachment also includes such efforts by the infant with which he tries to remain in physical contact with the caregiver, for example, holding a finger tight, clinging to the bosom, sticking to the lap, and etcetera.

Importance of Attachment The importance of attachment of infants and toddlers with the parents or caregivers cannot be denied. “The impact of attachment disruptions on children’s lives can be devastating and far-reaching” (Kaduson & Schaefer, 2006, p.148). As mentioned above, when the child enjoys healthy attachment with the caregiver, he will learn how to give and maintain a loving and caring relationship. He will learn to trust others. The long term outcome will be a happy, independent and confident personality.

On the other hand, when the child does not have an attachment bonding with the caregiver, he will learn to fear, to feel guilty, and to feel the world as a place which is not safe and where his needs are not going to be met. The long term outcome is a timid personality suffering from inferiority complex. Hence, we see that the attachment between the infant/toddler and the caregiver has significant importance in terms of personality developmental outcomes. An attachment theory that best aligns with my own views of attachment The attachment theory of John Bowlby best aligns with my views of attachment.

According to Bowlby (as cited in Holmes, 1993), the attachment between the infants and the caregivers has a long-lasting effect. Bowlby is of the view that the survival chances are also increased when the child remains close to the mother. When the mother is readily available to meet the infant’s needs, he becomes sure that he is safe and secure and that the world is a protected place to live in. When something frightens the child, he will turn to the primary caregiver in search of comfort.

He will also try to be physically close to the caregiver in order to ensure his safety. When he is taken apart from the caregiver, he will feel irritated and annoyed to the point of crying hysterically. All of these are the characteristics of healthy attachment and Bowlby’s theory of attachment very comprehensively describes these. How parents and caregivers can foster the healthy bonds of attachment? Parents and caregivers can play very important role in developing and maintain healthy bonds of attachment with the children.

The key to this is to keep the channels of communication open. When the caregivers give the children the chance to share their problems and express their needs to them, they are actually ensuring them that they can always depend upon them for a solution. This way, they teach them how to trust and communicate while gaining self-confidence. If the caregiver is the parent, then it is important for him to identify and recognize different cues that the infant/toddler uses to express his desires. This helps the child develop a sense of fulfillment and understanding.

Other useful suggestions for parents are to make eye-to-eye