The “Grandparent Care Giver” is defined as a person that takes primary responsibility for their grandchild that is younger than eighteen years old (Williams, 2011). The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren has increased in the past few decades (Williams, 2011). The 2000 US census reported that there are 2.4 million grandparents that are care givers. It showed that 1 in 10 grandparents will be the primary caregiver for at least 6 months (Williams, 2011). 5 % of all children are living in grandparent headed households (Williams, 2011). 39% of these grandparents have cared for their grandchild for five or more years (Williams, 2011).
The reasoning for a grandparent to take the role of primary caregiver is …show more content…
Erikson uses attachment theory for forming the basis for relationships in a couple of his psychosocial stages. One of the stages is Erikson first stage of psychosocial development is trust vs. Mistrust (Faris & McCaroll, 2010). This occurs the first year of a baby’s life. This stage is defined as when a baby begins to develop a sense of trust for the people around them. Erikson believed that an infant care giver can help an infant build a sense of trust (Faris & McCaroll, 2010). This action is usually the feeding and caregivers response to an infant’s cries. Erikson disclosed that there are early patterns that influence a person’s actions for the rest of their life (Faris & McCaroll, …show more content…
This is a basis for attachment. This when a child’s emotional life is built (Faris & McCaroll, 2010). There has been evidence of teens that have had troubled behaviors. These teens are more likely to have a history of insecure attachment. Erikson believed that if a caregiver does not meet the needs of the baby’s cries then it will develop a sense of mistrust. This will lead to depression and withdrawal layer on in life (Faris & McCaroll, 2010). Secure attachment with caregivers has been seen to have more positive interaction with adults and peers. Research has shown that secure attachments have been seen to have a balanced self-concept, and better problem solving skills than insecure attachment (Faris & McCaroll, 2010). Strengths and weaknesses of the theories. Strengths of Erikson’s psychosocial theory are that human development is viewed throughout a lifespan. It also lets us see how important social relationships are in our development (Cherry,nd). They have found the link between a strong identity and having healthy relationships in adulthood (Cherry,nd). One of the weaknesses of the psychosocial theory is not being descriptive in what experiences will allow us to be successful in resolving conflict. Another weakness may be that depending on the individual’s culture, the stages may not reflect when an individual will face these