A revision document of the Attachment, parenting and development: research and clinical implications (6474ATT) course lectures. In the attachment exam I got an 8.9
Infants are strongly predisposed to seek proximity and maintain contact to a significant specific figure
(primary-caregiver). These attachment behaviours are triggered in specific situations such as when the
infant is distressed, afraid, ill, etc. This has an evolutionary function as, proximity and contact with a
primary caregiver (most often the mother) ensures protection against potential dangers and thus
increases chances of survival.
Attachment behavioural system is inherent, it is continually activated but during distress it becomes
highly active as it tries to achieve homeostasis between exploration and protection (balance)
Activating Conditions: distress, illness etc.
Related to emotional regulation, IWMs & behavioural systems (Exploration & Fear)
Aim of attachment is beyond nutrition e.g. rhesus monkeys furry vs. wired mother who gave food.
2. Why such a system develops in humans?
Evolutionary base – attachment is a product of natural selection
proximity and contact with a primary caregiver (most often the mother) ensures protection against
potential dangers and thus increases chances of survival
Activating Conditions: internal and external (illness, fear, distress etc. & conditions of the
environment e.g. threatening stimulus)
Activation is less with a terminating stimulus e.g. when goal of proximity and contact is met
3. Emotional & Cognitive mechanisms involved in attachment: emotion regulation (of distress) &
IWMs
Emotion regulation:
o Anger & protest alert the interest of the caregiver
o achieving proximity and contact with the caregiver helps the infant to regulate their stress
IWMs:
o Based on the history of the quality of interactions & care with the caregiver the infant forms
an organization of the attachment behavioural system which becomes organized scripts
o involve mental representations of the self, the environment and the attachment figure =>
develop expectations and eventually generalized representations of social relationships
Based on the history of quality of child-mother interaction, the child will form internalized
representations of their caregiver’s availability and responsiveness to their signals that they are
being distressed/afraid etc. This involve representations of the self, the environment and the
attachment figure and will develop into internalized working models about the attachment system
and will allow them to form optimal organized attachment strategies to deal with stressful
situations. Eventually this will lead to generalized representations of social relationships
4. Individual differences in the quality of interaction
, Infants are inherently predisposed to become attached to a specific figure yet, the quality among
the dyads differs.
Differences in the history of the quality of care results in different expectations about the availability
and sensitivity of the parent in times of distress.
These differences in quality of care leads to differences in attachment styles which will also affect
the balance between attachment behaviour and exploration:
Secure attachment – when in distress secure infants are confident about their caregiver’s availability
& responsiveness, seek proximity and are able to maintain contact. So, they are soothed easily and
can go back to exploration => balance between attachment behaviour & exploration
Insecure attachment – inconsistent care from the caregiver so they develop organized strategies and
they either:
a. avoid the mother during times of distress and continue to explore (imbalance between
attachment behaviour & exploration) – minimize attachment behaviour (Avoidant)
b. maximize attachment behaviour – too much proximity seeking as mother’s availability is
inconsistent (anxious/resistant)
5. Monotropy?
During the 1st year of life the infant forms more than 1 attachments
The selection of a primary caregiver takes time as the infant selects their primary attachment figure
based on their responsiveness to their cry and readiness to interact with them
Evolutionary adaptation as at times of distress the child can automatically turn to their principal
attachment figure who they now is most responsive and available
6. Central Hypotheses of attachment?
a. Antecedents of attachment: The infants attachment organizations are dependent on the
history of quality of care with their caregiver (attachment security correlated to
caregiver’s accessibility & responsiveness)
b. Consequences of attachment: The quality of the attachment relationship is going to be
associated with the social and personality development of the infant, the IWM of the
self, social competence and behavioural problems (so individual differences will be
evident in these domains based on the attachment relationship) (predict other
important aspects of development)
c. Continuity: early attachment relationships will influence later attachment
representation – stable organization of attachment strategy (attachment security should
tend to remain stable over time, resistant to change due to mutual adaptation in
interaction patterns, expectations) – e.g. security in SSP should predict autonomous
state of mind in AAI
d. Universality: all children are inherently predisposed to form an attachment if they have
the opportunity so, these hypotheses are also expected cross-culturally (attachment
security can be assessed cross-culturally using similar measures)
7. SSP:
assumed that placing the infant in a situation with a mild stress will elicit their attachment
system and expectations about the availability of their primary caregiver
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