Chapter 11

The Development of Social Relationships

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Relationships with Parents

Attachment Theory
John Bowlbyethology and evolution The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals [is] a basic component of human nature, already present in germinal form in the neonate. (innate/built-in & maintained over time) Ensures infant will receive nurturance (survival value) Mary Ainsworthaffectional bond A relatively long-enduring tie in which the partner is important as a unique individual and is interchangeable with none other. In an affectional bond, there is a desire to maintain closeness to the partner.
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Affectional Bonds and Attachment

Attachment
A subtype of affectional bond in which the presence of the partner adds a special sense of security, a safe base, for the individual Child to parent but not parent to childwhy? Parent to spouse or friend but not child (security)

Attachment behaviors
All those behaviors that allow a child or an adult to achieve and retain physical proximity to someone else to whom he is attached (observable vs. internal) Internal working Models (mental representations Expectations of support or affection, trustworthiness Self, other, and self-other; shape & explain experience

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The Parents Bond to the Child

Synchrony The opportunity for the parent and infant to develop a mutual, interlocking pattern of attachment behaviors, a smooth dance of interaction All humans know how to do this dance
Smile, raised eyebrows, very wide open eyes Characteristic high pitch of motherese Turn-taking behaviors and inflections

Father-Child Bonds
Fathers seem to direct the same repertoire of attachment behaviors to the child as the mother Fathers spend more time playing with the baby Mothers spend more time in routine caregiving

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The Childs Attachment to the Parent

Bowlby3 phases in attachment (Figure 11.1)
Phase 1: Nonfocused Orienting and Signaling Baby begins with a set of innate behavior patterns that orient him towards othersproximity promoting behaviors (crying, clinging, cuddling) come here No attachment at this time Phase 2: Focus on One or More Figures 3 monthsaims behaviors at people who regularly take care of herno safe base yet Phase 3: Secure Base Behavior 6 monthsforms a genuine attachment Uses the most important person as a safe base Proximity seeking behaviorsgo there safe to explore
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Attachment
7 to 8 months - Strong attachments first seen Infants prefer either father or mother to a stranger When frightened or under stress, the child typically will turn to the mother (generally prefer mother) Fathers attachment depends on the amount of time dad has spent with the child Attachments in early childhood Age 2 or 3: Attachment behaviors become less visible Age 34: Use shared plans from parents to lessen anxiety Goalcorrected partnerships Term used by Bowlby to describe the form of the child-parent attachment in the preschool years, in which the two partners, through improved communication, negotiate the form and frequency of contact between them - in contact not necessarily physical presence

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Attachment (Continued)
Attachments in middle childhood
Elementary school
Overt attachment behaviors are even less visible The child may take primary responsibility for maintaining contact with the parent Less safe-base behaviors Less open affection expressed

Extended separations from parents can be extremely stressful (first day of school, summer camp, staying at grandparents, etc.)
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Parent-Child Relationships in Adolescence

Teenager tasks (contradictory) Establish autonomy Maintain their sense of relatedness to parents Increases in Conflict Mild bickering over everyday issues Argue over childs age at which privileges will be granted Attachment to parents remains strong and central Teenagers sense of well-being or happiness is more strongly correlated with the quality of the attachment to parents vs. peers Good relationships with parents and peers go hand in hand Less likely to engage in risky or delinquent behaviors

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Variations in the Quality of Attachments

Secure and Insecure Attachments (Table 11.1) Measured with Strange Situation (Ainsworth)
Insecure: Avoidant
Avoids contact w/ mother, especially at reunion Doesnt resist or seek contact w/ mother

Insecure: Ambivalent
Little exploration, upset when separated and not reassured by mothers return or comforting Seeks and avoids contact

Insecure: Disorganized/Disoriented
Dazed, confused, apprehensive. May show contradictory behavior: move toward, look away. Highest risk for emotional & behavioral problems Secure: uses parent as safe base, readily separates & consoled after separation
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Origins of Secure and Insecure Attachments

Crucial ingredients to secure attachments Emotional availability from caregiver Synchrony, mutuality, contingent responsiveness
Parent must be attuned to the childs signals and cues and respond appropriately

Low level of responsiveness is associated with any insecure attachment Disorganized/disoriented pattern
Child has been abused or the parent has suffered some trauma in their childhood

Avoidant pattern
Mother rejects the infant or regularly withdraws from contact with the infant

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Attachment Quality across Cultures

Culture influences attachment quality
Secure attachment is the most common pattern in all studies Avoidant and ambivalent patterns are switched in Japan and Israel when compared to other countries The Strange Situation may not be an effective measuring device in all cultures
Japanese children are rarely separated from mother creating too much stress in the strange situation German researchers suggest insecure-avoidant classification may reflect explicit training towards greater independence Israeli research suggests ties to later social skills like U.S.

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Temperament and Attachment

Emotional intensity varies from child to child
Easy children are more likely to be attached Some children react stronger to strangers than others because of personality factors Temperament does not influence attachment, rather it is goodness of fit between the infants temperament and his or her environment

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Stability and Long-Term Consequences of Attachment Quality

Stability of Attachment Classification
Consistency and inconsistency are evident in attachments over time Consistent family circumstances
Security or insecurity are constant over many years

Inconsistent family circumstances

Attachment changes

Children can recover from an insecure attachment or lose a secure one over time However, the tendency is for attachment quality to persist

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Long-Term Consequences of Secure and Insecure Attachments

Securely attached children
More sociable, empathic, emotionally mature, positive Less dependent on teachers, aggressive, disruptive
More intimate friendships Have higher self-esteem

Securely attached in adolescence

Insecurely attached in adolescence

Avoidant likely to become sexually active early, riskier sex Sroufe longitudinal study of summer camp behavior in adol. Securely attachedformed more friendships and had a greater sense of their abilities Insecurely attachedshowed deviant behavior, isolation from peers, bizarre behaviors, passivity, hyperactivity, aggressiveness

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Quality of Attachment in Adulthood

Longitudinal studies show that the effects persist into adulthood
Securely attached adults tend to be more sensitive to their partners Affects the way they behave towards their own children

Mains adult internal working models of attachment

Secure/autonomous/balanced
Objective in describing childhood and what motivated parents

Dismissing or detached
Minimize the importance of family influences Idealize parents Emphasize their own personal strengths

Preoccupied or enmeshed
Inconsistent or role-reversing parents Actively struggling to please parents or angry at them Confused and ambivalent towards parents

Assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) in video: name five adjectives that describe your childhood relationship w/ your mother, father, other attachment figures, etc.

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