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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
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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
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