As was explained in Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation” study, there are two ways that attachment can develop in a child. A child can develop secure attachment, which is characterized by a well-formed emotional connection between child and mother, or insecure attachment, which is characterized by emotional problems and a lack of a strong emotional bond between child and mother. Additionally, insecure attachment can be divided into three categories: resistant attachment, which is characterized by a stark refusal to look at and interact with the mother; avoidant attachment, which is characterized by a sense of ambivalence as to how the child interacts with his mother; and disorganized attachment, the most dangerous form, which is characterized by
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High quality caregiving consists of high responsiveness to the needs of the child, which manifests itself as a mother who consistently comes to the child’s aid when he cries. Moreover, high quality caregiving occurs when there is high level of synchrony in the interactions between mother and child. Depression or drug addiction in the mother compromises her ability to provide these things for her child, as they cause her to be distracted, detached, and emotionally incapable of interacting with her child in a way that promotes attachment. Anxiety, surprisingly, has similar effects. In a study of thirty first-time mothers who took a test that put them somewhere on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, anxious mothers were shown to have lower scores in attachment, whereas those who scored high in attachment scored low on the anxiety scale (Avant, 1981). Along with psychological disorders, the mother’s own sense of attachment can affect the quality of caregiving she provides to her child. According to a study done by Marinus H. van IJzendoorn (1995), mothers with secure attachment themselves, who are autonomous, are more sensitive and responsive to the needs of their children; inversely, insecure mothers are more likely to dismiss the needs of their children, or they might sometimes ignore their children’s cries and other times overcompensate and respond incorrectly to their needs. If the …show more content…
The child’s temperament can be easy, difficult, slow-to-warm-up, or a mix of the three, and it can make attachment security more difficult to obtain. However, the ability for a child to obtain secure attachment is epigenetic; this means that, while a child may be predisposed to have a negative temperament, and thus a higher likelihood to develop insecure attachment, secure attachment is possible if the mother is responsive and a good caregiver (Kochanska and Aksan,
High quality caregiving consists of high responsiveness to the needs of the child, which manifests itself as a mother who consistently comes to the child’s aid when he cries. Moreover, high quality caregiving occurs when there is high level of synchrony in the interactions between mother and child. Depression or drug addiction in the mother compromises her ability to provide these things for her child, as they cause her to be distracted, detached, and emotionally incapable of interacting with her child in a way that promotes attachment. Anxiety, surprisingly, has similar effects. In a study of thirty first-time mothers who took a test that put them somewhere on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, anxious mothers were shown to have lower scores in attachment, whereas those who scored high in attachment scored low on the anxiety scale (Avant, 1981). Along with psychological disorders, the mother’s own sense of attachment can affect the quality of caregiving she provides to her child. According to a study done by Marinus H. van IJzendoorn (1995), mothers with secure attachment themselves, who are autonomous, are more sensitive and responsive to the needs of their children; inversely, insecure mothers are more likely to dismiss the needs of their children, or they might sometimes ignore their children’s cries and other times overcompensate and respond incorrectly to their needs. If the …show more content…
The child’s temperament can be easy, difficult, slow-to-warm-up, or a mix of the three, and it can make attachment security more difficult to obtain. However, the ability for a child to obtain secure attachment is epigenetic; this means that, while a child may be predisposed to have a negative temperament, and thus a higher likelihood to develop insecure attachment, secure attachment is possible if the mother is responsive and a good caregiver (Kochanska and Aksan,