Question

How do our very first attachments in infancy impact our future relationships in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood --- including our personality? Start by stating in your own words a general overview of attachment theory. Make sure to discuss the different types of attachment in this introduction.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate on the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) Strange situation classification by Ainsworth: This was a study where children were exposed to familiar caregivers and unfamiliar strangers and their alternating presence. The child’s responses were recorded. It was observed that the child’s anxiety level increased whenever they were left alone with the stranger.

Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation: The strange situation was developed to record separation and reunion behaviour by the child towards the mother. Furthermore, it also presents situations where the child’s behaviour around strangers is recorded. The situations are illustrated in the eight steps below:

(1) Mother, baby, and experimenter (lasts less than one minute).

(2) Mother and baby alone. (Approx 3 minutes)

(3) A stranger joins the mother and infant. (Approx 3 minutes)

(4) Mother leaves baby and stranger alone. (Approx 3 minutes)

(5) Mother returns and stranger leaves. (Approx 3 minutes)

(6) Mother leaves; infant left completely alone. (Approx 3 minutes)

(7) Stranger returns. (Approx 3 minutes)

(8) Mother returns and stranger leaves. (Approx 3 minutes)

These 8 stages helped detect patterns in the child’s behaviour and levels of anxiety. Based on the variable levels of anxiety, there were three basic types of relationships found that were based on the type of attachment established between the caregiver and the child.

Characteristics of the Child’s behaviour found through Mary Ainsworth’s empirical styles of attachment:

1. Secure Attachment – This is when the child’s response is characterised by a feeling that the attachment figure is a safe base. This child feels secure that the parental figure will be available to meet their needs. Such individuals grow up to be capable of maintaining healthy relationships. This stems from their sense of emotional well-being and security.
2. Insecure-Avoidant – It is often that when a caregiver is insensitive and distant towards a child, the child does not seek security from that figure. Such children tend to not orientate towards these parental figures and possibly grow up to be emotionally distant. Such caregivers tend to be excessive disciplinarians or indifferent. When a child does not receive the emotional love and support that they require from the caregiver, they begin to lose their sense of security as they have lost their emotional well-being. The lack of love comes from distant and apathetic behaviour that the parent/ guardian would exhibit. Such caregivers are generally emotionally unavailable, strict or simply unavailable during their child’s developing years.
3. Insecure/ Ambivalent Resistant – These are children who are clingy to the attachment figure but easily reject the figure when they are distracted towards other elements in the environment. Such individuals usually grow up to have difficulty moving away from the attachment figure. These individuals might have the tendency to have a “clingy” temperament where they aim to cling to moments, people, ideas etc. This is a manifestation of the feelings of insecurity that they harbour.