Infant Attachment (follow the guided for the peers)

In your own words briefly describe the four stages of attachment identified by Bowlby and the four types of attachment identified by Ainsworth.

The four stages of attachment that belonged to John Bowlby are Pre-attachment, Attachment in the Making, Organized, goal directed attachment, and Formation of reciprocal partnerships. Pre-attachment is when the infant is establishing a relationship with the caregiver but the relationship is weak and can be interrupted by anyone and there is no fear factor with the infant. Attachment in the Making is when the infant is starting to connect with the caregiver and also starting to understand the difference between the caregiver and strangers. Organized, goal- directed attachment is when the child understands who the caregiver is and feels secure around them and they have a connection. If a caregiver leaves even if a stranger is present, the child is uncomfortable and will react with crying and trying to run after caregiver. Formation of reciprocal partnerships is when the child is a little older and because of established relationships the child understands that the caregiver if has left will return shortly this a stage that has developed a strong bond and trust.

 Mary Ainsworth four stages of attachment are securely attached infants, insecure-avoidant infants, insecure-resistant/ambivalent, and Disorganized-disoriented infants. The structure of Ainsworth’s work is very similar to Bowlby but at first there were only three attachments for Ainsworth the fourth Disorganized infants was established later. “Disorganized-disoriented infants are thought to be the least securely attached. They exhibit a great degree of confusion and contradictory behaviors during both separation and reunion situations.” (Mossler, R., 2014)

Analyze how attachment experiences might affect the psychosocial, cognitive and physical development of children and adolescents.

Attachment experiences affect the psychosocial, cognitive and physical development of children and adolescents in many ways. In children attachment is what structures how they can react and handle situations as adults. If a caregiver is less attached then others then that can play a part into what happens later with the child as they head into adulthood. Lack of attachment and a unhealthy structure can cause children to lack attention and cause them to show less emotions and build walls. Positive attachments help children to have great social skills and communication skills. If a child is able to think clearly it would make cognitive development possibly function smoother because the influence would promote the thinking process and physically it might help children develop better in comparison to stress that can be placed on the body when the attachment isn’t present.

Reference

Mossler, R. (2014). Child and Adolescent Development. (2nd ed) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from

https://content.ashford.edu/

Bowlby

1. Preattachment begins at birth and lasts through the first few weeks of their life. Babies display signs of preattachment with some of their first responses that they learn such as smiling, staring, and crying. These behaviors provoke a response from parents or caregivers which initiates important moments of feeling security and becoming familiar with their parent or caregiver that helps develop attachment to that person.

2. Attachment-in-the-making is the next step that takes place up to 6 months of age when infants recognize people allowing them to form a preference with whom they communicate and interact with. Often infants at this stage can recognize the difference between strangers and those they are familiar with.

3. Organized, goal-directed attachment is the following stage between 7 and 24 months of age. At this point infants know who their parents or caregiver is and will become upset when that person or persons leave, especially in the later months.

4. Formation of reciprocal partnerships takes place next at 24 months where infants can understand much more such as the fact that parents or caregivers will return diminishing as much of an emotional disturbance.

(Mossler, 2014)                                    

Ainsworth

1. Securely attached infants are aware of their surroundings and will react to their parent or caregiver leaving but when they reappear the child will become calmer.

2. Insecure-avoidant infants tend to care less when their parent or caregiver leaves, showing now emotional despair.

3. Insecure-resistant (or ambivalent) infants show extreme emotions in regards to their parent or caregiver. Infants tend to desire and also loath attention from their parent or caregiver showing a conflict of emotions.

4. Disorganized-disoriented infants show signs of confusion of whether or not to be upset or happy during the disappearance and the return of their parent or caregiver.

(Mossler, 2014)

According to Davidson’s 2005 video, Mary Ainsworth: Attachment and the growth of love: Patterns of attachment and the strange situation: Results, “For all these babies, whatever category, the Strange Situation triggered attachment behaviors they had developed in their first months of life. The patterns have proven to be quite stable over time and to color future interpersonal relationships.” In other words, regardless of the reaction throughout the experiment many formed healthy and strong relationships later in life. However, in Davidsons 2007 video, John Bowlby: Attachment theory across generations: Elements of attachment Theory, based off of experiments with the Strange Situation and continued research parents who served as a safe and secure relationship provided children with expectations of what other relationships should look like. As we can see in the video while George plays with his toys that he reflects from his relationship with his mother and what his expectations are from her.  

Davidson’s 2005 video, Mary Ainsworth: Attachment and the growth of love: Patterns of attachment and the strange situation: Results, states, “Longitudinal studies indicate that people who have early secure attachments with their primary caregivers have better relationships with friends during childhood and youth and tend to have more stable adult love relationships.”

References

Davidson, F. (Producer) (2005). Mary Ainsworth: Attachment and the growth of love: Patterns of attachment and the strange situation: Results [Video file].  Retrieved from the Films On Demand database.

Davidson, F. (Producer). (2007) John Bowlby: Attachment theory across generations: Elements of attachment Theory [Video file]. Retrieved from the Films On Demand database.

Mossler, R. (2014). Child and Adolescent Development. (2nd ed) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/