Attachment

Question 1

Attachment

Answer 1

an emotional bond with a specific person that is enduring across space and time, usually attachments are discussed in regard to the relation between infants and specific caregivers, although they can also occur in adulthood

Question 2

Attachment Theory

Answer 2

theory based on Jahn Bowlby’s work that posits that children are biologically predisposed to develop attachments to caregivers as a means of increasing the chances of their own survival

Question 3

Secure Base

Answer 3

refers to the idea that the presence of a trusted caregiver provides an infant or toddler with a sense of security that makes it possible for the child to explore the environment

Question 4

Internal Working Model of Attachment

Answer 4

the child’s mental representation of the self, or attachment figure(s), and of relationships in general that is constructed as a result of experiences with caregivers, the working model guides children’s interactions with caregivers and other people in infancy and at older ages

Question 5

Strange Situation

Answer 5

a procedure developed by Mary Ainsworth to assess infant’s attachment to their primary caregiver

Question 6

Secure Attachment

Answer 6

a pattern of attachment in which infants or young children have a positive and trusting relationship with their attachment figure

In the Strange Situation, a securely attached infant, for example, may be upset when the caregiver leaves but may be happy to see the caregiver return, recovering quickly from any distress. When children are securely attached, they can use caregivers as a secure base for exploration

Question 7

Insecure Attachment

Answer 7

a pattern of attachment in which infants or young children have a less positive attachment to their caregiver than do securely attached children. Insecurely attached children can be classified as insecure/resistant (ambivalent), insecure/avoidant, or disorganized/disoriented

Question 8

Insecure/Resistant (or ambivalent) Attachment

Answer 8

a type of insecure attachment in which infants or young children are clingy and stay close to their caregiver rather than exploring their environment

In the Strange Situation, insecure/resistant infants tend to become very upset when the caregiver leaves them very upset when the caregiver leaves them alone in the room. When their caregiver returns, they are not easily comforted and both seek comfort and resist efforts by the caregiver to comfort them

Question 9

Insecure/Avoidant Attachment

Answer 9

a type of insecure attachment in which infants or young children seem somewhat indifferent toward their caregiver

In the Strange Situation, they seem indifferent toward their caregiver before the caregiver leaves the room and indifferent or avoidant when the caregiver returns. If the infant gets upset when left alone, he or she is as easily comforted by a stranger as by a parent

Question 10

Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment

Answer 10

a type of insecure attachment in which infants or young children have no consistent way of coping with the stress of the Strange Situation, their behaviour is often confused or even contradictory, and they often appear dazed or disoriented

Question 11

Parental Sensitivity

Answer 11

caregiving behaviour that involves the expression of warmth and contingent responsiveness to children, such as when they require assistance or are in distress

Question 12

Self-Concept

Answer 12

a conceptual system made up of one’s thoughts and attitudes about oneself

Question 13

Self Comparison

Answer 13

the process of comparing aspects of one’s own psychological, behavioural, or physical functioning to that of others in order to evaluate oneself

Question 14

Personal Fable

Answer 14

a form of adolescent egocentrism that involves beliefs in the uniqueness of one’s own feelings and thoughts

Question 15

Imaginary Audience

Answer 15

the belief, stemming from adolescent egocentrism, that everyone else is focused on the adolescent’s appearance and behaviour

Question 16

Self-Esteem

Answer 16

an individual’s overall subjective evaluation of his or her worth and the feelings he or she has about that evaluation

Question 17

Identity

Answer 17

a description of the self that is often externally imposed, such as through membership in a group

Question 18

Identity Versus Role Confusion

Answer 18

the psychosocial stage of development, described by Erikson, that occurs during adolescence

during this stage, the adolescent or young adult either develops an identity or experiences an incomplete and sometimes incoherent sense of self

Question 19

Identity Achievement

Answer 19

an integration of various aspects of the self into coherent whole that is stable over time and across events

Question 20

Moratorium

Answer 20

period in which the individual is exploring various occupational and ideological choices and has not yet made a clear commitment to them

Question 21

Identity Diffusion

Answer 21

period in which the individual does not have firm commitments regarding the issues in question and is not making progress toward developing them

Question 22

Identity Foreclosure

Answer 22

period in which the individual has not engaged in any identity experimentation and has established a vocational or ideological identity based on the choices or values of others

Question 23

Ethnic and Racial Identity

Answer 23

the beliefs and attitudes an individual has about the ethnic or racial groups to which they belong

Question 24

Sexual Identity

Answer 24

one’s sense of oneself as a sexual being

Question 25

Sexual Orientation

Answer 25

a person’s preference in regard to males or females as objects of erotic feeligns

Question 26

Sexual-Minority Youth

Answer 26

young people who experience same-sex attractions