Chapter 14 Attachment and Social Relationships

Life-Span Human Development, Fifth Edition, Carol K. Sigelman and Elizabeth A. RiderChapter 14

Chapter 14

Attachment and Social Relationships


Attachment • The case of “Baby Jessica” (p. 385)

– Children are resilient

– Negative early experiences rarely ruin them for life

• Close relationships provide

– Learning experiences

– Social support – the emotional and practical help from others that bolsters us as individuals, and protects us from stress.

– social convoy – a social support system that changes in size and composition over the life span.

– Infant’s social convoy is initially only parents and expands to include relatives, friends, teachers, romantic partners and so on over the life span.


Attachment Theory

• Bowlby: A strong affectional tie that binds a person to an intimate companion

• Helps regulate distress by maintaining proximity seeking through crying, clinging, approaching, and following to maintain closeness

– By about 6-7 months

• Ainsworth: special, irreplaceable people

– Desire to maintain proximity

– Derive a sense of security

• Bowlby: normal environment important


Ethology

• Konrad Lorenz:

• Imprinting – innate form of learning in which the young will follow and become attached to a moving object during a critical period; it is irreversible

• Humans: Attachment

– Sensitive period- longer time period and not automatic behavior; caregiver’s response is important

– Predisposed


Attachment-Related Fears

• Separation anxiety: 6-8 mo

– Peaks around 14-18 mo

– Gradually wanes

• Stranger anxiety: 8-10 mo

– Declines during 2nd yr

• Ainsworth: secure base for exploration


Attachment video


Quality of Attachment

• Caregiver provides “contact comfort” – pleasurable tactile sensation; important for attachment

• Ainsworth: Strange Situation Test

– Secure attachment: 60-65% of 1-year olds – sensitive and responsive parenting style -comfortable exploring and using mom as base

– Insecure attachment categories

• resistant - Inconsistent parenting style; often unresponsive (e.g., depressed) - 10% of 1-year olds – ambivalent reaction to caregiver, very distressed when separated from mom, resists physical contact with mom


Avoidant – rejecting-unresponsive or intrusive-overly stimulating parenting style – 15% of 1-year olds

Rejection, impatient, resentful of mom, do not explore, not wary of strangers

Disorganized/disoriented – frightening (e.g., abusive) or frightened (e.g., overwhelmed) – 15% of infants, - features of both the resistant and the avoidant styles - most insecure, confusion about approaching or avoiding, few strategies for regulating negative emotions

Chapter 14 Attachment and Social Relationships

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