Cognitive Mechanisms Of Attachment Essay

Improved Essays
one of the main cognitive mechanisms which allow other bodily functions which as … is attachment. Attachment is the development of a close and emotional relationship between a caregiver and child which allows further future relationships to be formed (Cassidy and Shaver, 2008) As characterised by responses to the Strange Situations (a test where the child 's reaction to a stranger is measure, both with and without the caregiver present), attachment develops in two different ways (Ainsworth, 1989). Children who are soothed by their caregiver and accept strangers have a secure attachment with their caregiver and experience separation anxiety when away from them. insecure attachments can also be formed and are divided into avoidant and anxious-ambivalent …show more content…
avoidant children are not interested in contact and show no difference when either separated or reunited with their caregivers. anxious-ambivalent children want attention from their caregiver, experience fear when separated and are not willing to experience new situations. secure and anxious-ambivalent attachments are advantageous in the social world as staying with a caregiver allows them to explore and develop while being provided for (Bowlby 1965 as cited inMitchell, Ziegler, and Mitchell, 2013).
Regardless of the type of attachment a person has, it helps them to develop and grow into an adult with different cognitive mechanisms to navigate the social world. This can be assumed by the evidence of children who do not have attachments e.g. orphans. Due to not having attachments, it causes problems in the social world as they have not learned socially acceptable behaviour via primary socialisation, do not have fully developed brains and do not have all their cognitive mechanisms to an acceptable range e.g. delay in speech and language (Nelson 2007 as cited in Martin, Carlson, and Buskist,

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Bowlby (1951) saw attachment behaviour as an instinctive reaction. The infant will use social releasers, such as crying and smiling to seek proximity to the primary caregiver, to ensure survival in evolutionary times. The infant will use social releasers when proximity to the caregiver is threatened, such as by separation, insecurity or fear. Social releasers will stimulate caregiving in adults, so that care and responsiveness become determinant for attachment. A securely attached child will regulate its emotions well, and the secure attachment will act as a safe base for the child to explore the world from.…

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Strange Situlation: This experiment consist of how a child reacts when his or her mother leaves the room and enter a stranger. There are four type of attachment according to this experiment: Secure attachment, insecure attachment, insecure resistant and insecure disorganized. Secure attachment consist of when the child is stressed when his or her mother leaves, however become less stress when the mother returned. Out of all the participants, 66 percent of children fell under this category. Insecure attachment involves children that do not have any particular reaction when their mother leave the room or reenter the room.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “how can she rise with me on the crest of my genius during those dusky beautiful hours after school, and then at night, because I will not eat some string beans and a baked potato, point a bread knife at my heart?” - Alex, Portnoy’s Complaint Page 17 Disorganized Attachment is viewed as the most harmful out of all the attachments a child can have towards his/her parent(s). “The child is caught in a terrible dilemma: [emotional cruelty and frightening behavior] her survival instincts are telling her to flee to safety but safety is the very person who is terrifying her… In these situations, children typically disassociate from their selves.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space (Ainsworth 1973, Bowlby 1969) McLeod(2009). British Psychologist John Bowlby connected the relationship shared between an infant and its primary care giver, and how this interaction impacted on long term forming of attachments. Bowlby found that if a child experience a strong, nurturing, secure relationship where their immediate needs are met; they are more willing to explore and aided in social and cognitive development. Bowlby found that even though attachment forming behaviors are innate if they are unreciprocated by giving of attention when anxious negative behavioral patterns were formed. John Bowlby in his research partnered with…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These four functions are crucial in creating a positive temperament and establishing goodness of fit. Based on Bowlby’s functions of attachment model, comes the investigation of attachment styles. Ainsworth contributed to the importance of attachment through an experiment called, “the strange situation”. This was conducted on infants aged nine to eighteen months, where they’re left in a room with a stranger without their mother, after some time the stranger leaves and the mother reenters the room. From this study, Ainsworth not only investigated the caregiver as a base for exploration, but also found four styles of attachment.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The disorganized connection rarely produces the same reaction from the child, perhaps they are angry when they return. The avoidant connection the child ignores the parent and does not seek any comfort from them. 2) How does attachment explain human relationships? Attachment describes the connection between caregiver and child and supposedly children take the relationship skills learned in their interactions with their parents on to future interactions.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Attachment is a basic need of every human. For a close and intimate relationship between infants and their caregiver's attachment is the most important factor. Responsive and contingent parenting produces secure attachment with children and those children who show more curiosity, self-reliance, and independence. Securely attached children also tend to become more resilient and competent adults. Whereas, the children who do not experience a secure attachment with their caregivers might have difficulty getting along with others and they are unable to develop a sense of confidence or trust in others.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anxious/Ambivalent Attachment Style is described as when a mother is inconsistent with their infant- sometimes showing affection and sometimes distant. I say that I display this type of attachment style based on the signs of outcomes where “anxious/ambivalent adults tend to fall in love easily and wanted a commitment almost immediately” (Benokraitis, 2015). This is an accurate description of me as well as the description that those raised in an anxious/ambivalent attachment style “want to merge completely with another person, and this desire often scares people away” (Benokraitis, 2015). I did not believe that the way in which I act when it comes to a relationship could be because of how I was raised, but seeing the descriptions I can see how this is…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Neonatal Nursing

    • 1713 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The quality of attachment is determined by the caregiver’s response to when the infant’s feelings of safety and security are threatened. Infants whose caregivers consistently respond to distress and makes sure it feels secure, is considered to be secure attachment (Benoit, 2004). Avoidant attachment is when infants whose caregivers consistently respond to distress in ways such as ignoring or becoming annoyed, develop a strategy so that they avoid their caregiver when distressed (Benoit, 2004). Infants whose caregivers respond in an inconsistent way, exaggerate displays of distress so that the distress response cannot possibly be missed by the caregiver. However, this resistant strategy increases the risk for developing social and emotional problems (Benoit,…

    • 1713 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is fascinating how children form attachment with their parents or caregivers. Even though a child forms an attachment with someone this attachment can be effected by situations such as rejection or abuse. As history has shown the children who were in the Romanian orphanages, without any personal interaction these children never experienced the important synchrony required to establish a healthy attachment with a caregiver (Berger, 2014). Unfortunately, children in 2017 with all the knowledge and resources we have available still face similar experiences of rejection at home from their own parents. When this happens, chances are these children will form an insecure or disorganized attachment; children who develop attachment disorders typically exhibit dangerous or destructive behaviors (Pickover,…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Attachment The Attachment Theory maintains that the bond between an infant and his or her primary caregiver greatly influences personality, cognitive ability, and relationships throughout life. Psychologist Mary Ainsworth studied attachment patterns through an experiment known as the Strange Situation in which a mother left a child in a room for short period of time either alone or with a stranger; the child’s behavior was assessed when the mother left and when she returned. Three different patterns were observed. They are secure attachment, avoidant attachment, and ambivalent attachment.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    When strangers separate them from their mothers, young children typically respond with exaggerated intensity, even post-reunion with the mother, anxiety or else unusual detachment remains. (Bowlby, 1969). A criticism of Bowlby’s attachment model is that children are restricted to a sole attachment figure. They can have attachments to others as well, even though they don’t necessarily show it in the same way they do as with their mother. Additionally the attachment model behaviour list is only inclusive of blatant behaviours, excluding other physiological changes explicable in separations and reunions.…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1.1 Summarise theories of attachment The term attachment is widely used by psychologists studying children’s early relationships. An attachment can be thought of as a unique emotional tie between a child and another person usually an adult or a special toy or blanket. Research has repeatedly shown that the quality of these ties or attachments will shape a child’s ability to form other relationships later in life. Attachment theories have shaped practice in day-to-day child care and education but also social care practice.…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This caregiver will form a secure base (developed by Ainsworth) from which the child can explore and develop (Goldberg, 2007). Ainsworth (1979) went on to develop the attachment styles through the ‘Strange Situation’ study involving presence of mother and/or stranger within a stimulating (toys and activities) environment. From this, she developed the concepts of securely and insecurely (sub categories: avoidant and resistant) attached. A child’s attachment is determined by how and to what extent the…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Able et al. (2001) have conducted research on various sleeping arrangements in different ethnic groups; Pakeha, Maori, Pacific people which include Tongan, Samoan, Cook Islander and Niuean with their infants under 12 month in New Zealand. This essay focuses on the comparison in infant sleeping arrangements among different culture. Moreover, further discussion of attachment theory in which mainly focusing on Ainsworth (1979) research findings and a hypothesis on relationships between maternal behavior and infant behavior with its effect on various sleeping arrangements.…

    • 1371 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays