Chapter 11 Attachment to Others and Development of Self I The Caregiver Child Attachment Relationship A Harry Harlow s Rhesus Monkeys 1 Experimental design a Baby monkeys raised healthily but in isolation b Compared experimental group s outcomes to control group raised with mother 2 Results a Isolated monkeys incapable of interacting with other monkeys through communication or learning b Adult females who were isolated growing up did not parent their children B Attachment Theory 1 Bowlby s Attachment Theory a John Bowlby Mary Ainsworth b c Stages of attachment development i Preattachment Birth 6 weeks Infant uses parent as safe haven or secure base from which to explore the world Infant produces signals crying to communicate to caregivers by whom the infant is comforted ii Attachment in the making 6 weeks 7 months Infants prefer familiar people over unfamiliar people Development of trust or lack thereof depending on caregiver s response iii to infant s actions Clear cut attachment 7 months 18 months May exhibit separation anxiety Caregiver usually mother serves as secure base iv Reciprocal relationships 18 months and older Understanding of parents goals motives feelings Child develops fluid partnership with parents Decrease in separation anxiety Internal working model of attachment i Mental representation of self attachment figures and relationships in general ii Based on dependability of and security provided by caregiver iii Initial models of attachment influence the type of relationship a child d seeks once he or she grows up Influence overall adjustment social behavior perceptions of others and self esteem 2 Ainsworth s Research a Quality of attachment from infant to caregiver measured by i Extent to which an infant uses his or her caregiver as a secure base ii Infant s reactions to brief separations from and reunions with caregiver C Measurement of Attachment Security in Infancy a Test conducted by Ainsworth to measure security of infant s attachment to b Consists of seven episodes of slightly varied environmental situations all of 1 Strange Situation caregiver which last 3 minutes c Attachment categories i Secure attachment Use mother as secure base from which to explore Usually display mild distress when mother leaves Greet mother when she returns 50 of lower class toddlers 62 68 of middle class toddlers ii Insecure attachment Insecure resistant Aka ambivalent Cling to mother Display moderate to severe distress when mother leaves Run to mother to be comforted when she returns but immediately switch to avoiding all acts of comfort 9 of middle class toddlers in the U S Insecure avoidant Avoid mother throughout experiment Don t greet mother when she returns Ignore mother while she is in the room 15 of middle class toddlers Disorganized disoriented iii Disorganized behavior No consistent method of coping with stress Can t decide whether or not they go towards or away from mother Higher percentage among maltreated toddlers or those with a lower SES 15 of middle class toddlers in the U S D Cultural Variations in Attachment 1 Relatively little variation in percentages of infants in each category across cultures 2 There is noticeable variation in some contexts a Japanese and American babies exhibit approximately same percentage of securely attached infants but no Japanese babies exhibited insecure avoidant attachment b Variation may also be to time period during which tests were conducted i Few children attended preschool in the 1980s E Compliance 1 Kochanska toy experiment a Experimental design i 2 and 3 year olds told to put toys away b Results i Committed compliance ii Situational compliance Need for additional prompting Most common Defiance iii Not at all compliant 10 of children c Implications i Test retest reliability Compliance is part of self ii Influence of parent child relationship Firm with rationale compliance Parents are reasonable committed compliance Parents are insensitive situational compliance Threatening or criticizing defiance F Factors Associated with the Security of Children s Attachment 1 Parental Sensitivity a Degree to which parents are responsive to infant s needs and desires b Exhibited through i Consistently responsive caregiving ii Mutual smiling or laughing Coordinated play iii c Mothers sensitivity plays much stronger role than fathers sensitivity 2 Trends with Other Attachments a b Insecure resistant infants i Mothers tend to not respond consistently ii Usually overwhelmed with the responsibilities of caregiving Insecure avoidant infants i Mothers are emotionally distant and sometimes reject physical closeness c Disorganized disoriented infants i Sometimes exhibit frightening abusive behaviors ii May be dealing with unresolved loss or trauma iii Around age 3 6 these children react to mother by Attempting to cheer her up Acting in a hostile and aggressive manner 3 Correlation versus causation a Parental sensitivity and infantile attachment are correlated not necessarily causal Interventions designed to enhance mothers sensitivity also increase strength of b infants attachment c Difference in attachment between twins raised apart all due to environment not genes G Does Security of Attachment Have Long Term Effects 1 Securely attached children tend to be better adjusted and possess more social skills than insecurely attached children 2 Other associations emotional expression attached children relationships as an adolescent 3 Stability versus consistency a Sensitive parenting associated with secure attachment also leads to greater b Securely attached children have closer relationships with peers than do insecurely c Securely attached children tend to have more positive peer and romantic a Attachment in toddlerhood predicts behavior and success in relationships b Poor parent child relationships based on financial security divorce or other academics etc into adolescence factors more subject to change c Drastic shifts in mother s behavior toward child can completely revolutionize 1 Conceptual system composed of one s thoughts and attitudes about oneself physical child attachment II Conceptions of the Self A Definition of self social and mental internal B The Development of Conceptions of Self 1 The Self in Infancy a Distinct at 8 months i Development of separation anxiety b Mirror test i Spot put on child s face then child looks in a mirror ii If child touches own face when looking at the mirror they can recognize themselves iii 10 month olds reach for