ATTACHMENT: THEORY AND

PRACTICE

By Hannah McHardy

An educational presentation for parents of infants 0-2 years old on the importance of secure attachment.

Contents

What is attachment? Attachment Theory History of Attachment Theory Patterns, Characteristics and

Stages of Attachment Benefits of Secure Attachment Facilitating Secure Attachment

Attachmentnoun

“The affectional tie…that binds them together in space and endures over time” –Mary Ainsworth

“Lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” –John Bowlby

“Attachment describes the whole caregiving relationship between mother or father and baby. Attachment begins in pregnancy, intensifies after the baby is born, and continues as the child grows.” – William Sears

Please click here and watch a

video on attachment

Attachment Theory

Centered on the emotional bonds between people, Attachment Theory suggests that our earliest attachments have a lasting impact on our lives.

Developed from the joint work of John Bowlby (1907-1991) and Mary Ainsworth (1913-1999), as well as other theorists and researchers. (1)

The History of Attachment Theory

The Okinawan

History of Attachment

Before a formal theory on attachment was developed, two US medical officers station in Okinawa during World War II noticed the lack of mental disease on the island even after suffering from war. Dr. James Maloney believed the “psychological stamina” of the Okinawan people stemmed from the “excellent start the Okinawan child gets in life”. Together with Commander JJ Cammisa, the doctors made an educational film called “The Okinawan” which became the subject of nationwide interest in the US. (2)

The Okinawan

History of Attachment

“In contrast to the West, where bottle-feeding was quickly becoming the norm, Okinawan mothers breastfed, not only to nourish their babies, but also to give comfort. He noticed how the mothers would carry their babies on their backs in beautiful fabric carriers and let them nurse whenever they needed- not on a strict schedule. Most babies were nursed until at least two years of age or older, and if babies were not with their mother, they were carried by another family member- always in contact with someone they knew and trusted.” (3)

Dr. Maloney showed his film to standing-room-only audiences in medical schools all over the country.

The “Okinawan style of parenting” was taught in parenting classes and some hospitals.Image that accompanied the article about Okinawan parenting

in November 1949 issue of Better Homes and Gardens entitled “Is Your Wife Too Civilized?”

John Bolwby

History of Attachment

British child psychologist and psychoanalyst Credited as the “Father of Attachment

Theory” he revolutionized our thinking about a child’s connection with the mother and its disruption through separation, deprivation, and bereavement. (1)

Influenced by Freud; he “shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood have an important influence on development and behavior later in life” (1)

Here is a link to a film about John Bolwby’s formulation of Attachment Theory

John Bolwby

History of Attachment

He believed that attachment promotes survival in 3 ways(5): Safety Safe base for exploration Internal working model: The first relationship

(mother-child) forms a template that acts as a prototype for all future relationships.

Source: Aimee Bond http://prezi.com/gz-ncyq-bhq7/bowlbys-attachment-theory/

These are the characteristics of

attachment

Harlow & Zimmerman Experiment

History of Attachment

(1959) Rhesus monkey babies were separated from their mothers and reared by surrogates. One surrogate was terry cloth covered and the other wire mesh.

Monkeys preferred soft cloth “mommy”

Findings: developing a close bond does not depend on hunger satisfaction; contact comfort is more important and need for closeness and affection is much deeper.

Mary Ainsworth

History of Attachment

Began research on maternal-infant attachments while working with John Bowlby

Developed experiment known as the “Strange Situation” to observe child attachment

During these assessments, the researcher observes a child as the mother leaves them alone in an unfamiliar setting. The child’s behaviors during separation and upon the mother’s return were observed. Ainsworth identified three main styles of attachment from this research.(4)

Click the video icon to watch a film on the “Strange Situation”

Mary Ainsworth

History of Attachment

She discovered three main styles of attachment:1. Secure Attachment2. Anxious-Ambivalent Insecure Attachment3. Anxious-Avoidant Insecure Attachment 4. Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment (Fourth added by

colleague Mary Main)

Attachment Styles

Source: Adapted from Berger, 2011.

Stages of Attachment Birth to 6 weeks Preattachment. Newborns signal, via crying and body movements, that they

need others. When people respond positively, the newborn is comforted and learns to seek more interaction. Newborns are also primed by brain patterns to recognize familiar voices and faces.

6 weeks to 8 months Attachment in the making. Infants respond preferentially to familiar people by smiling, laughing, babbling. Their caregivers’ voices, touch, expressions, and gestures are comforting, often overriding the infant’s impulse to cry. Trust develops.

8 months to 2 years Classic secure attachment. Infants greet the primary caregiver, show separation anxiety when the caregiver leaves, play happily when the caregiver is present. Both infant and caregiver seek to be close to each other (proximity) and frequently look at each other (contact). In many caregiver-infant pairs, physical touch (patting, holding, caressing) is frequent.

2 to 6 years Attachment as launching pad. Young children seek their caregiver’s praise and reassurance as their social world expands. Interactive conversations and games (hide-and-seek, object play, reading, pretending) are common. Children expect caregivers to comfort and entertain.

6 to 12 years Mutual attachment. Children seek to make their caregivers proud by learning what adults want them to learn, and adults reciprocate. Specific accomplishments are valued by adults and children.

12 to 18 years New attachment figures. Teenagers explore and make friendships on their own, using their working models of earlier attachments as a base. With more advanced thinking, physical contact is less important; shared ideals and goals are more influential.

18 years on Attachment revisited. Adults develop relationships with others, especially relationships with romantic partners and children, influenced by earlier attachment patterns. Past insecure attachments from childhood can be repaired rather than repeated, although this does not always happen.

The Benefits of a Secure Attachment

Smarter Enhanced Motor

Development Healthier Less Stress Hormone

(cortisol) Promotes: Intimacy,

empathy, and cooperation

What Science Says: Research by Bell and Ainsworth at Johns

Hopkins University concluded that harmonious mother-infant attachment correlated with an infant’s higher IQ and physical development.(6a)

308 infants in Uganda reared with attachment parenting were compared to European infants reared with distant, scheduled parenting by Dr. Gerber in 1958. Ugandan infants showed precocious motor and intellectual development throughout the first year.(6b)

A study published in Pediatrics in 1989 found that parent-infant pairs with a lesser quality of attachment had a higher frequency of unscheduled acute-care visits. (6c)

Human infants with the most secure attachment to their mothers had the best cortisol balance. (6d)

“Securely attached infants are more likely to become secure toddlers, socially competent preschoolers, high-achieving schoolchildren,

and capable parents.”(4a)

How do I create a secure attachment with my baby?

There are many tips and resources out there to help parents facilitate and maintain a strong attachment to their infant, toddler, or child.

What it comes down to is sensitively responding to your child’s need for connection.

Dr. Sears’ 7 B’s of Attachment (6e)

1. Birth bonding2. Breastfeeding3. Babywearing4. Bedding close to

baby5. Belief in baby’s

cries6. Beware of “baby

trainers” 7. Balance and

boundaries

Breastfeeding requires a mother to learn and respond to her baby’s

cues, which is the first step to getting to know your baby and building a trusting relationship

The hours and days after birth are a sensitive period. Spending lots of time together after birth allows the natural attachment-

promoting behaviors of the infant and the intuitive,

biological caregiving qualities of the mother to come together.

Babies need a lot from their parents in the early days; it’s

easy to neglect your own needs and those of your marriage.

Learn when to say no and when to say yes, and have the wisdom to say yes to yourself when you

need help.

Carried babies fuss less and spend more time in a state of quiet alertness, the behavioral

state in which babies learn most about their environment and are nicest to be around.

There is no one right place for all babies to sleep, but most

babies sleep best when they are close to their parents, because it reduces separation anxiety at night. Sleeping close can help

some busy parents connect with their babies.

Crying is a babies way of communicating designed to ensure

it’s survival and to develop the parents’ caregiving abilities.

Babies cry to communicate, not to manipulate. By responding

sensitively to your baby’s cries he learns to trust you.

People will tell you, “Let him cry it out,” Get him on a schedule,” and “Don’t hold her too much, you’ll spoil her!” This is outdated and misguided advice that assumes

babies cry to manipulate. Research has shown us the

importance of attachment over and over again.

They only spend a short time in your arms, yet the imprint of love and availability last a lifetime.

Citations(1) Bretherton, Inge. "The Origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary

Ainsworth." Developmental Psychology 28: 759-775. Print.(2) Parker, Lysa. "The Lesson of Okinawa." . Attachment Parenting International,

n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.attachmentparenting.org/support/articles/okinawa>.

(3) Nicholson, Barbara, and Lysa Parker. Attached at the Heart: Eight Proven Parenting Principles for Raising Connected and Compassionate Children . Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, 2013. Print.

(4) Berger, Kathleen Stassen. The developing person: through the lifespan. 8th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, 2011. Print.

a. Page 197. R. A. Thompson, 2006.

(5) "Attachments." Attachments in development. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2014. <http://psychology4a.com/attachments_in_development.htm>.

(6) Sears, William and Martha Sears. The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby. NY, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2001. Print.

a. Page 13b. Page 14c. Page 16d. Page 18

Image Credits John Bowlby www.douban.com Mary Ainsworth www.peakoilblues.org Mother-Child Strange situation

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/childhood-youth/early-years/attachment-parents

Harlow & Zimmerman http://psychology4a.com/attachments_in_development.htm

Attachment Type Chart resource.rockyview.ab.ca Happy baby

http://tenminutes.ph/why-you-should-be-concerned-with-the-new-angle-of-vhong-navarros-mauling-incident/happy-baby/

Little boy hugging www.littleheartsbooks.com Birth bonding www.babybunintheoven.com Breastfeeding www.baby-birth.com Babywearing www.attachmentparenting.org Mama baby sleeping www.attachmentparenting.org Baby about to cry www.sheknows.com Crying baby quemas.mamaslatinas.com Family www.peggyomara.wordpress.com