Analysis of Different Forms of Understanding Attachment - Essay Example

?gr The significance of attachment in psychological development College: Introduction Understanding forms of attachment are an essential step towards the understanding of the normal child development stages. Attachment is the deep emotional connection established between the infant and his or her key caretaker, like father, mother or grandparent. Attachment is the ability to form or create and maintain health emotional and social relationships. The bond of attachment formed in psychological development has some unique characteristics. The ability to form these individual connections begins in early childhood. These characteristics include an enduring form of connection with an exceptional individual, involves soothing, pleasure and comfort. Threat of loss or loss of the special individual evokes a lot of distress and safety and security in the context of the relationship. Attachments influence the social, cognitive and emotional growth of infants and have an immense impact on the future development of the baby, (Bee, and Boyd, 2010, p2). Discussion At birth, the newborn baby is fundamentally emotionally unattached. Irrespective of the normal physical attachment of the umbilical cord, a baby does not have a solid connection to other human. During early childhood and infancy stage, the new attachment (social and emotional) starts to substitute the initial attachment of the umbilical cord. As a result of her dependent nature, the baby needs constant care and attention from another person, in a bid to survive. Calories as wells as a “bath” of physical sensations such as smells, sight, touch and taste aid the infant grow and survive to meet his potential. The somatic sensory influence from the caring and loving caregiver (the hugs, rocking, smile and cools) is transformed by the sensory system of the infant into patterned form of neuronal activity that affect brain development in positive ways. The new attachment develops from this dependent relationship among the infant and the caregiver. This emotional relationship (attachment) is difficult to document of see, yet it is as fundamental for human psychological development as the cord (umbilical cord is to uterus, (Berk, 2009, p23). Attachment is instinctual- all people are born with the tendency or instinct to attach to a loving and proactive person, who will care, support and guide them. Attachment is a vital process, as a child's emotional, cognitive, social, psychological and physical development is shaped by the attachments established to adults and parents caregivers. Whereas the food supply, shelter and clothing is essential, it is not adequate to ensure normal development. Loving attention and care are required if infants are to grow into adolescents and adults, capable of establishing healthy relationship with their peers. Attachment is the center for this process, as influences an infant’s understanding of both himself, the world and its people. Blakemore and Frith (2007), identifies two different types of attachment; that is, insecure and secure attachment. Secure attachment establishes a child's self-worth, identity and a sense of his security and safety in negotiating the challenges of life. It also aids build empathy, trust, compassion for others and conscience, all of which establishes the basis for creating healthy relationships in his adult life. Similarly, there is a connection between childhood patterns of attachment and adult attachment relationships and styles. Insecurely attached infants tend to experience intense psychological challenges and may have problems in their relationships as adults. The challenges include physical and emotional distance, aggression and insecurity. Securely attached children, as adults, are likely to manifest, enormous success in relationships with others, higher self esteem and higher levels of performance in areas of intimacy, trust, independence, compassion for others and coping skills. Children establish healthy and strong attachment by having their requirements met on a consistent basis. For instance, research reveals that mothers or caregivers who respond to their infant's huger cries by picking them up and feeding them, are reacting to the infant's needs. This allows the child to feel comfortable and relaxed until he feels another need (for instance, a diaper change need). When needs are catered for, a child or an infant develops as sense attachment, trust and a sense of satisfaction. With time, the child starts to perceive the world as a secure and safe place where her needs will be immediately catered for if she communicates them, as others (caregivers) are trustworthy and will always care for her. Berk's research reveals a crucial example of the effects of health attachment on the development of children, on the experience of HIV and AIDS positive infants raised in foster homes. He argues that, when HIV and AIDS stigma was prevalent in some American societies, in both early and mid 1980's, babies who were born with HIV and AIDS virus, were left to die in hospitals. This rejection alone impeded the growth of the infants. When such infants were taken to foster homes for care, they were exposed to nurturing condition, which promoted attachment to their foster guardians or caregivers. Therefore, these infants developed a sense of attachment and trust to the caregivers providing for their emotional, social and physical needs. Consequently, they started to thrive developmentally; also their prognosis became more promising, (Berk, 2009, p44). A vast body of evidence illustrates that the sensitivity of mothers in responding effectively to her child's needs is a primary determinant of the child's attachment pattern. Additional positive maternal characteristics, for example, flexibility, nurturance and autonomy, tend to be related to secure child attachment. Studies of mothers and caregivers with personality disorders like bipolar disorders, schizophrenia or depression, support the idea that disturbances in the personalities of caregivers envisage anxious attachments in children. Additionally, the mother's or caregiver’s representational form of attachment relationship happens to be a better forecaster of her child's attachment pattern. Anxious attachment between infants will differ with the individual mother-child culture and interaction. Various studies in Europe and United States reveal that rejection of the child, especially rebuffing the child call for contact, promotes the avoidant defenses development. Additionally, inconsistent, unpredictable reacting- sometimes assuming signals, being intrusive at times or acting sensitively on occasions – ostensibly fosters ambivalent or anxious attachments, (Blakemore and Frith, 2007, p21). Serious maternal psychopathology, unresolved mourning, as well as child abuse, are linked with disorganized or anxious child attachment. According to the study, estimates of the anxious attachment frequency among neglected and/or abused infants have ranged between 70% and 100%. Research has shown that low levels of social and practical support for the caregiver or the mother and infant irritability are the main factors that trigger the risk of aggressive attachment. Poor marital quality, as well as the instability of the situation of the family, associated intense poverty, may also enhance the risk of aggressive or anxious attachment. Existence of two or many of these factors combined results to the increasing baby's tendency to develop an anxious or aggressive attachment to the caregiver. Some literature reveals that in most circumstances, girls and boys equally tend to be securely attached to their caregivers (mothers). In high-risk cases, boys tend to be at higher risk than girls for aggressive or anxious attachment. Poverty without other threat factors does not occur to enhance anxious attachment risk. Studies on premature infants illustrate that the initial characteristics of the infants have no effects on patterns developed in their first birthday, apart from when long-term medical problems may thwart the mother-infant relationship and contribute to aggressive or anxious attachment. In other words, the influence of the mother on the attachment results is higher that the influence of the infant. It is impossible to distinguish between aftereffects resulting from initial attachment patterns and outcomes emanating from the linked aspects of the current experiences. However, many researchers have observed that infants interact with both new and familiar people based on their previous adaptations, thus perpetuating maladaptive or adaptive behavior in their later life. Researches indicated that most infants, about 56%, are safely attached. Babies who are securely connected to their mothers or caregivers in infancy are likely to have several advantages in most areas as preschoolers, kindergarteners and toddlers. They do not score higher in cognitive tasks as compared to anxiously attached infants in various studies, but they are not likely to be more enthusiastic and persistent in the manner they handle tasks. Secure infants are more competent, cooperative, more ego-resilient and sociable. Teachers and peers prefer them to those with anxious attachment. Some scholars assert that it is difficult to differentiate whether such favorable results are safer attachment in infancy and/or of correlated aspects of recent relationships and experiences, (Schaffer, 2008, p12). Anxious attachments are popular in approximately 35%, in most United States samples, whether lower class or middle class and, may not of be much concern. Some of the anxiously attached infants do not necessarily develop psychopathology; instead they occur to be at a higher risk for it as opposed to secured children. Similarly, in high risk samples, aggressive and anxious attachments are highly common particularly on disorganized or anxious category. Approximately 20% of the babies in the most American samples are avoidant or anxious and have been the center of close study. In adulthood, their behavior is marked by restricted emotional awareness, detachment, difficulty in manifesting and expressing negative emotions and masked feeling. Their defensive posture, rejecting the form of care received in infancy, and a response to insensitive, is manifested in later situations, which is maladaptive. Similarly, an avoidant child does not ask for emotional support or practical assistance, lacking trust that those around him will react positively. Infants in this group play always with objects, and have low fantasy play; also, they lack the ability to accept normal imperfections in future life. Ambivalent or anxious infants (about 10-16% key samples) are less enthusiastic, less complainant and less persistent as toddlers as opposed to securely attached infants, who express more frustrations and anger as adults. Preschoolers in this group tend to be exploitation victims in their interactions with their peers. Also, they tend to elicit mixed reactions from peers that disseminate expectations concerning relationships and ambivalent feelings (Berk, 2009, p 23). It is presumed that about 10-15% of children are disorganized. Since this is still a moderately new group, there is a possibility that majority infants fit this group. A number of researchers are re-evaluating videotapes to identify this group more accurately as compared to other groups. One major study discovered that infants with disorganized or anxious attachment were more likely to manifest aggressive or hostile behavior challenges at the age of five. The crucial significance of a child's attachment needs was markedly demonstrated in studies of some institutionalized infants who had no frequently present caregivers. An amazing percentage of infants died and in spite of the healthy physical care. A larger percentage of the children spent a larger percentage of their infancy time in an institution turned out to be either socially indifferent, and/or developed an “affect hunger, “ that is an insatiable demand for affection and attention from in discriminate sources. Also, neither category was able to develop meaningful attachment to peers or caretakers. As teenagers, they tended to be impulsive and aggressive and involved in anti-social behavior. Researches demonstrate that attachment patterns may even aid to explain or predict that the approach of an adult to failure or success and work in a job environment. For instance, secure attachment observed in adulthood may reflect effective involvement and self-confident in a person's work. Similarly, avoidant adults may approach the tasks somehow compulsively to prevent their deficiencies and difficulties in their interpersonal relationships. Ambivalent or anxious adults, engrossed with most unmet attachment needs, may permit interpersonal relationship to hinder their work. Based on infants temperament in later developmental stages and adulthood, the consensus among various studies is that different personalities of the infants can influence attachment results. Regardless of considerable effort, different scholars realized that psychologists have achieved little success in measuring and defining temperament variables (sociability, negative emotionality among others) in humankind, (Berk, 2009, p 23). It is easier to study primate temperament than human temperament. For instance, experiments using rhesus monkeys have indicated that tendencies of temperament, like fear of current or new events are largely affected by hereditary factors. The assumption is that rhesus babies with such types of temperaments are more prone for attachment hardships and other social challenges, if their mothers are rejecting and unskilled and when at stressful environment. Subjecting them to a highly responsive mothering, as well as a calm environment largely decreases their vulnerability. The study defines differences related to individual culture and individual care and reflects care associated with maternal depression, maternal alcoholism and maltreatment. Conclusion In conclusion, therefore, psychologists and psychoanalysts agree that infant attachment to someone is fundamental and influence child developments outcomes. Also, flexibility or ego resiliency and adaptive behavior is a practical product of secure attachment. Thus, the nature of attachment during infancy stages influences the psychological development of the child and the nature of future manifested behavioral pattern, (Bee and Boyd, 2010, p2). References Bee, H. and Boyd, D. (2010). The developing child. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Berk, L. (2009). Child development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Blakemore, S.-J. and Frith, U. (2007). The learning brain: lessons for education. Malden, Mass. [u.a.], Blackwell. Schaffer, H. R. (2008). Introducing child psychology. Malden, MA, Blackwell Pub. Read More