Bowlby's Ethological Theory On The Four Stages Of Children

Notebook Activity #3- Attachment
Summary of experience: This notebook activity’s focus was the stages of attachment that children go through. I focused on Bowlby’s Ethological Theory on the four stages of attachment. The first phase, preattachment, is where an infant’s built-in signals, such as grasping, smiling, crying and gazing into an adult’s eyes help bring newborns into close contact with the people around them. The second phase, “attachment in the making,” is where infants begin to develop a sense of trust and become more wary of strangers. The third phase, “clear-cut” attachment, is when a child begins to create a bond with the parent, which usually results in separation anxiety from their primary caregiver. The final phase, formation of a reciprocal relationship, is where toddlers begin to understand the reasons why their caregivers have to leave them sometimes (Pg. 265, Ch. 7-Emotional and Social …show more content…
It was also very interesting to see how each parent addressed the attachment in a different way. For example, Amanda just comforted her child by rocking her back and forth. Chris, Harper’s primary caregiver, came back and greeted Harper genuinely, and Harper was content to continue playing with her toys. Kelly, Esther’s mother, stepped in to play the game, when Esther realized that I was a stranger and that she would much rather play with her mother. Finally, Wendi, Jeremiah’s mother, sat down and briefly explained to Jeremiah why she had to leave and that she would be back for him shortly. This impacts me as a future educator, because each child will have a different level of attachment to their caregiver, and by seeing how they address the attachment, will hopefully help me sooth the child if they realize that they would rather be with their primary caregiver, than at school that