Emotional Development

By Vinko, Luke, Umut and Albert

From the moment of birth, infants depend on the people around them for their survival. Overtime, the infants develop an emotional connection with the people who responds to it's needs. This is a process called attachment.

Psychologists now define attachment as the tendency of infants to form an emotional bond to another person, usually their main caregiver. This often occurs during the first 12 months of life and these months influence on a person's emotional development throughout their lifespan.

Mary Ainsworth

Mary Aimworth, an American psychologist, thought that it was possible to observe clues to the development of attachment in humans in early infancy. She suggested that infants show attachment through behaviour that promotes closeness or contact with the person to whom they are attached. These behaviours that indicate attachment include;

Crying when held by someone other than the care giver and stopping when taken by the care holder

Crying to attract the care givers attention

Smiling at the care giver more readily and more frequently than at other people

Vocalizing more readily and more frequently than at other people

Looking at the care giver when separated but in sight

Lifting arms to be picked up by the care giver

When they leave and approaching them on their return.

Exploring the environment using the care giver as a secure ' home ' base, returning from time to time for brief periods

According to Ainsworth, infants can form different types of attachment with their caregiver. She generally described them in terms of three types: secure attachment, resistant attachment and avoidant attachment

Secure attachment

This is a bond between the mother/caregiver and infant, where the mother is sensitive and

responsive to the child's needs, the child will not experience significant distress at separation from

the caregiver, but will seek comfort when frightened. Around 55% of infants fall into this

category.

Avoidance attachment

Pattern of attachment in which an infant rarely cries when separated from the primary caregiver and avoids contact upon his or her

return

Resistant attachment

The infant becomes anxious even when the caregiver is near and becomes very upset when separated. When the caregiver returns, the infant approaches them, begins to

cry until picked up then fights to get free. It is believed the cause of this is due to caregivers not being very responsive

to the infants needs. About 12% of infants are in this category.

Strange situation test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnFKaaOSPmk

What happened in this video?

QuestionsWhat is resistant and how this tYpe of attachment works?

What is accommodation and how this type of attachment works?

What is avoidance and how this type of attachment works?

Who was Mary Ainsworth and what was her main theory?

What Is the purpose of the strange situation test ?

What is attachment?