Module 10: Attachment Theory Flashcards by Nathania Ellice

Attachment

reciprocal, enduring emotional tie between an infant and a caregiver, each of whom contributes to the quality of the relationship

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Strange Situation

by Mary Ainsworth; designed to assess attachment patterns between infant and adult

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What are the different attachment styles according to Ainsworth?

Secure Attachment
Avoidant (Insecure) Attachment
Ambivalent (Resistant) Attachment
Disorganized-Disoriented Attachment

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Secure Attachment

+ flexible, resilient
+ secure attachment in early development becomes a foundation for psychological development later
+ grow up as secured adults, can speak about attachment relationships with feeling but will also be thoughtful and reflective
+ balances dependency and exploration,
balances emotion and thought
+ low avoidance, low anxiety

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What kinds of parenting styles can result to secure attachment?

Sensitive and Responsive

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Avoidant (Insecure) Attachment

+ outwardly unaffected by a caregiver leaving or returning
+ not distressed if caregiver leaves, do not reestablish contact when they return
+ grow up as dismissing adults, attachment is devalued and dismissed by these adults with concomitant emphasis on though separated from emotions
+ low anxiety, high avoidance

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What parenting styles result to avoidant (insecure) attachment?

Inconsistent, often unresponsive

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Ambivalent (Resistant) Attachment

+ generally anxious even before the caregiver leaves
+ cling to the caregiver then push them away when comforted
+ grow up as enmeshed adults (pre-occupied), cannot turn their attention away from attachment, provide contradictory, rapidly alternating views of their attachment relationships accompanied by a gush of vivid memories
+ low avoidance, high anxiety

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What parenting styles result in Ambivalent (Resistant) Attachment?

rejecting-unresponsive or intrusive-overly stimulating (inconsistent)

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Disorganized-Disoriented Attachment

+ lack a cohesive strategy to deal with the stress of the strange situation; they show contradictory, repetitive, or misdirected behaviors; confused and afraid
+ strong patterns of avoidance and resistance or display certain specified behaviors such as extreme fearfulness
+ have psychopathological tendencies
+ high avoidance, high anxiety

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What parenting styles result in Disorganized-Disoriented Attachment?

frightened and frightening

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What kind of relationships do children who have secure attachments have?

Children who were classified as securely attached were more likely to have better relationships with peers and teachers in later childhood than those classified as insecure

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What causes the attachment styles according to Bowlby?

According to Bowlby, attachment styles resulted from repeated interactions with a caregiver

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Stranger Anxiety

wariness of a person she does not know

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Separation Protest

crying when caregiver leaves

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At what age do babies negatively react to strangers?

Babies react negatively to strangers by 8 or 9 months

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Mutual Regulation

the ability of both infant and caregiver to respond appropriately and sensitively to
each other’s mental and emotional states

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Social Referencing

seeking emotional information to guide behavior

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Five Stages of Attachment Development

Stage 1 (birth to 3 months)
Stage 2 (3 to 6 months)
Stage 3 (6 to 9 months)
Stage 4 (9 to 12 months)
Stage 5 (12 months and older)

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Stage 1 (birth to 3 months)

Infants uses sucking, rooting, grasping, smiling, etc. to maintain closeness with caregivers

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Stage 2 (3 to 6 months)

more responsive to familiar figures than to strangers (responsive to mama only)

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Stage 3 (6 to 9 months)

infants seeks physical proximity and contact with objects of attachment (finding mama)

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Stage 4 (9 to 12 months)

Infants form internal mental representation of object of attachment, including expectations about caregiver’s typical responses to signals of distress (forming mental rep of objects of attachment)

Stage 5 (12 months and older)

child uses variety of behaviors to influence the behavior of the objects of attachment in ways that will satisfy needs for safety and closeness

Attachment Behavior System (Bowlby)

a complex set of reflexes and signaling behaviors that bring about caregiving responses from adults

When does the attachment behavior system activate usually?

When the child is frightened or separated from the mother, the attachment system is activated and the child will seek proximity or physical closeness to the mother

According to the attachment behavior system, what is the child most motivated to attain?

The child is motivated to attain a sense of security, a subjective experience of safety and well-being

What happens when the child feels secure?

When the child feels secure, the attachment system is deactivated and the exploratory system is turned on

What is the primary drive of the attachment behavior system?

Attachment is a primary drive

Principle of Monotropy | Bowlby – Attachment Theory

need to form attachment to one significant person

Internal Working Model of Attachment | Bowlby – Attachment Theory

through repeated attachment experiences, the child develops expectations about the availability and responsiveness of the mother

Separation Anxiety | Bowlby – Attachment Theory

distress when a familiar caregiver leaves her

Protest | Bowlby – Attachment Theory

upon the disappearance of the caregiver, the infant will cry, and will resist soothing from others

Despair | Bowlby – Attachment Theory

when the separation is prolonged, the infant becomes quiet, sad, passive, and apathetic

Detachment | Bowlby – Attachment Theory

infants become emotionally detached from other people

Psychological Birth | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

focused on independence, how the child grows entirely dependent being to one who is relatively independent, both physically and psychologically

How old are the individuals who undergo the Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory? | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

1-3 years old

According to the Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory, what does the successful completion of developmental stages lead to?

Successful completion of the developmental stages in first few years of life results in separation and individuation

Separation | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

internal process of mental separation from the mother

Individuation | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

developing self-concept

According to the Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory, how does the child develop independence from the mother?

the child’s developing capacity to represent the mother, allows his/her independence from the mother

Until what age do children exist in a symbiotic phase? | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

Children exist in a symbiotic phase until they reach about 6 months of age

How does the infant see the environment according to the Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory?

They are unaware of their surroundings and others and only are cognizant of themselves as one with their mothers

What happens as the child matures? | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

As the child matures, perception of his or her mother begins to evolve and the child internalizes the images of her

What could disruptions in normal developmental trajectory lead to? | Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

Disruptions in normal developmental trajectory could lead to maladaptive behavior

Stages of Attachment according to the Mahler – Separation-Individuation Theory

1. Normal Autistic Phase (0-1 month) 2. Normal Symbiotic Phase (1-5 month) 3. Separation-Individuation (5-24 months)

Normal Autistic Phase (0-1 month)

+ first weeks of life and shows little social engagement + infant is focused on himself/herself + uninterested in external stimuli + as if they are inside their own egg shell

What is the primary goal of the Normal Autistic Phase (0-1 month)?

achieve a state of equilibrium, while lacking the understanding that the satisfaction needs may come from an external source

Normal Symbiotic Phase (1-5 month)

+ first 6 months of life, occurs when the child gains awareness of caregivers but has no sense of individuality + acknowledges the mother’s existence as the main source of need-satisfaction + egg extends to include the mother

Separation-Individuation (5-24 months)

+ 4 or 5 months + child develop a sense of self, separated from the mother + In separation, the infant develops an understanding of boundaries of the self + Individuation marks the development of a sense of self

Concepts in the Separation-Individuation (5-24 months) Stage

1. Differentiation 2. Practicing 3. Rapprochement 4. Object Constancy

Differentiation

+ occurs when the child first gains awareness that he or she is separate from the mother (5-10 months) + hatching

Practicing

+ occurs when child becomes toddler, gaining motor skills that enable the child to explore the world independently from his or her caregivers (10-16/18 months) + hastens the physical development and separation anxiety decreases

Rapprochement

“backing off” from separation, the child becomes anxious about separation from his mother and regains closeness (18-24 months)

Object Constancy

development of an internalized mental model of the mother, which unconsciously accompanies and supports the child even when they are physically separated (24+ months)