A Study On Infant Mother Attachment - 1493 Words

Infant-mother attachment was first proposed by Bowlby (1958) and was further explored by Ainsworth and Bell (1970) in a Strange Situation study where they categorized infant-mother attachment into three which are secure, avoidant and ambivalent. In this context, attachment can be defined as an interaction between a child and a mother which implies affections that is observable through the act of the child to seek for proximity or contact with the mother (Dallaire Weinraub, 2005). Nevertheless, this attachment study did not end after this finding. Instead, many researchers replicate this measures, trying to figure out whether attachment change after the first year of life and the differences of infants and adults attachment styles. Strange Situation is a laboratory procedure experiment where a dyad of a mother and her one year old child was placed in a room at a time with a stranger. Infants were encouraged to explore the room that was filled with toys. The three stages involved in the Strange Situation were exploratory, separation and reunion episodes. It was found that infants’ exploratory behaviour were at the highest with the presence of the mother. However, the absence of the mother will then discouraged exploration and thus, they will seek for reunion with the mother. Based on this observation, infant-mother attachment were put into categorization where infants that follow the expectations of Strange Situation has a Type B or a secure-based attachment. Meanwhile,Show MoreRelatedThe Development Of Attachment Theory1336 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelopment of attachment theory since the time of Bowlby and the many theories proposed to determine which best describes attachment. The Attachment theory high lights the importance of attachment especially between mothers and infants in regards to the infants personal development, both physically and emotionally. Bowlby describes attachment as â€Å"lasting psychological connectedness between human beings†(Bowlby, 1969, p.194). Bowlby’s attachment theory suggested that mothers and infants have a biologicalRead MoreHow Infant Attachment Is Affected By Mother Infant Relationship1427 Words   |  6 Pageshave an effect on a developing infant’s ability to grow an attachment and a bond with said parent. This holds especially true for the bond between the mother and the infant, be it that on average the mother-infant dyad spends the most one-on-one time together comparatively. According to Raval and colleagues (2001), a parent’s state of mind influences their sensitivity in caregiving behavior, which then has an effect on the child’s attachment pattern/strategy. There are a wide variety of other factorsRead M oreEasterbrooks And Graham (1999) Studied How Housing Status1603 Words   |  7 Pagesstatus affected infant attachment. The study consisted of 112 low-income mothers and their infants. Fifty-five of the dyads were homeless and living in shelters for at least seven days while the other 57 dyads were never homeless and living below the poverty line. These families were a hide range of different races and ethnicities including Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic. Mothers completed the Attachment Q-Sort, answering 90 statements about the behaviors of their infant. Unlike manyRead MoreModifications of Bowlbys Attachment Theory Essay1724 Words   |  7 PagesModifications of Bowlbys Attachment Theory Bowlbys original theory of attachment was concerned with the bonding relationship that develops between an infant and his primary caregiver. He believed the process of bonding to have a biological basis as the genes of those infants who successfully sought the protection of a caregiver (from predators and other dangers) will have survived and been passed on. 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This is; the infant tries to get close to and maintain that proximity with the caregiver, using a number of strategies to do so. E.g. clinging and signalling behaviours such as smiling, crying and calling. The fact she has outlined this definitionRead MoreRelation: Infant Mother Attachment and Eating Disorders1510 Words   |  7 Pageslinks between infant mother attachment and eating disorder behavior. Throughout this paper the two main theorists that are looked at are Mary S. Ainsworth and John Bowlby. Mary S. Ainsworth’s framework of attachment theory began in Uganda, while studying individual difference in infant behavior, which is known as the Strange Situation. John Bowlby coined the theory of infant mother attachment based on object relations psychoanalytical theory and the conceptualization that infants need healthy maternalRead MoreRelationship Between Disorganized Attachment And The Early Stages Of Infancy Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesD. R., Otten, R. (2007). Unresolved maternal attachment representations, disrupted maternal behavior and disorganized attachment in infancy: Links to toddler behavior problems. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry, 48(10), 1042-1050. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01805.x Madigan, Moran, Otten, Pederson, and Schuengel conducted a longitudinal study (2007) with the purpose of finding the relationship between disorganized attachment in the early stages of infancy and behavior problemsRead MoreThe Emotional Link Of Attachment1661 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Attachment is one of the developmental milestones that begins during conception and remains throughout one’s life. It is defined as the â€Å"strong affectionate tie we have for special people in our lives that lead us to experience pleasure and joy when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness in times of stress† (Berk, 2011, p. 264). When an individual meets the child’s needs, an attachment begins to form. The primary caregiver, preferably the mother, is considered toRead MoreThe Effects Of Hormones On Infants Mothers Essay1341 Words   |  6 PagesWhen expectant mothers are making their birth plans to deliver their new babies, one must have option is skin to skin contact directly after delivery. Babies are placed on their mothers chest resulting in reduced crying, improves mother baby interaction, keeps the baby warmer, and helps woman breastfeed successfully (Moore, Anderson, Bergman, 2007). Skin to skin contact can also stable a baby†™s temperature naturally instead of having to place the baby in an incubator. Skin to skin contact also