Parents can fulfill many different roles in the lives of their children. They can be their teachers, their rule enforcers, their buddies, their caretakers, and most importantly their attachment figures. The role of an attachment figure is a huge responsibility for the parent, because it is one of the most important predictors in what kind of emotional and social outcome the child will have later in their lives (Benoit, 2004).
Attachment is a definitive approach in the relationship between a child and parent that helps the child feel safe and protected (Benoit, 2004). This has little to do with the other roles that a parent has such as feeding, teaching, playing, and disciplining the infant. In this approach the parent is used as a safe haven when the child feels distressed or vulnerable (McLeod, 2009). Attachment theory contributes to the explanation as to how this relationship between the child and their parent emanates and how that impacts the child’s successive development (McLeod, 2009).
Mary Ainsworth formulated a technique called the “Strange Situation” to help determine how attachment differs between various children (McLeod, 2014). This experiment was conducted on infants aged 12 to 18 months old, and included 100 middle class American families (McLeod, 2014). There was a sequence of events introduced that lasted approximately 20 minutes and was able to be observed by one way glass (Brodie, 2015). There were eight episodes that each lasted roughly three minutes in this experiment; the first episode included the mother, baby, and experimenter in the room; the second episode included only the mother and the baby; the third episode introduced a stranger to the mother and baby; the fourth episode the mother left the baby alone with the stranger; the fifth episode the mother returned and the stranger left; the sixth episode the mother left the infant completely alone; the seventh episode the stranger returned; the eight episode the mother returned again and the stranger left (McLeod, 2014). While this was going on the researcher was studying the behavior of the infant. The researcher was looking for four interaction behaviors in which were focused on when the mother returned after leaving the room (McLeod, 2014). These included the proximity of the infant in relation to the mother and whether or not they sought contact, whether or not they maintained contact, whether or not they avoided proximity and contact, or whether they were resistant to contact and comforting (McLeod, 2014). Other behaviors were observed as well, such as, whether or not the infant moved around the room and/or played with toys, whether or not the infant searched for their mother by going to the door or banging on the door or whether the infant cried when the mother left the room and smiled when the mother returned (McLeod, 2014).
Based on the outcomes of this experiment, Ainsworth identified three main attachment styles (McLeod, 2014). The successful outcomes were described as being secure attachment, and the unsuccessful outcomes were described as insecure attachment style, anxious ambivalent, and insecure attachment style, avoidant (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). In the secure attachment style the infant was comfortable exploring the new surroundings while the mother was present, was upset once the mother left, was anxious when the mother left while the stranger was in the room, was not able to be comforted by the stranger, and was able to be calmed down when the mother returned; this style was found in the majority of the children that were studied (McLeod, 2014). In the insecure attachment style, anxious ambivalent the child did not explore the environment, was extremely distressed when the mother left the room, avoided the stranger when left alone with them, and resisted the mother when she returned effectively being unable to be comforted (McLeod, 2014). In the insecure attachment style, avoidant the child was not upset when the mother left, was able to be comforted by the stranger as well as the parent, and didn’t show much interest in the mother when she returned (McLeod, 2014). Ainsworth suggested that the way the caregiver behaves in relation to the infant is a predictor in which attachment style the infant would be classified (McLeod, 2014). Those infants that were found to be in in the secure attachment style had parents that were responsive and perceptive in their care. The infants that were in the insecure attachment, anxious ambivalent style had inconsistent parental care; sometimes their needs were met and sometimes they were not (McLeod, 2014). Those infants in the insecure attachment avoidant style had parents that were completely unconcerned with their care; these infants had already figured out that relaying their needs to their parents was fruitless (McLeod, 2014).
Research has shown that having a secure attachment to a parent is a protective factor against social and emotional disorders in children (Benoit, 2004). Insecure attachment styles whether they are avoidant or resistant have been shown to be risk factors in relation to social and emotional disorders in children (Benoit, 2004). All children have attachment to their parents, regardless of how inattentive they are, and these findings show that secure infant parent attachment is an extremely influential predictor of greater social and emotional outcomes later in a child’s life (Benoit, 2004).
Benoit, D. (2004). Infant-parent attachment: definition, types, antecedents, measurement and outcome. Paediatr Child Health. 9(8), 541-545.
McLeod, S. (2009). Attachment theory. Retrieved from: http:// www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html
McLeod, S. (2014). Mary Ainsworth. Retrieved from: http://www.simplypsychology.org/mary_ainsworth.html
Brodie, R. Mary Ainsworth and attachment theory. Retrieved from: http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/articles/mary-ainsworth-and-attachment-theory/
Schneider, F.W., Gruman, J.A., & Coutts L.M. (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Washington DC: Sage Publications.
I like how you covered Mary Ainsworth’s attachment styles. I have always found her Stranger Situation experiment very fascinating. So much so I find myself analyzing our 3 year old grandson and 6 month old granddaughter. I really liked how you described the secure/insecure attachments. It pretty much describes the very secure attachment the grandchildren have with both of their parents. At this point in time the 3 year old grandson has multiple secure attachments with his parents, and grandparents on both sides. I have liked your post so much that is will help me even more as the grand kids continue developing.
Mike
I’m happy to see that someone covered Mary Ainsworth’s attachment styles, as the concept of secure/insecure attachments between mother and child has always been a source of fascination and frustration for me. Throughout her life, my mother suffered from severe addiction and several psychological disorders that unsurprisingly contributed to the development of an insecure attachment bond between us. Reading your descriptions of these relationships, it struck me how the anxious/ambivalent attachment style still comes into play in my current relationships today. It’s so important to understand the profound impact early parent-child interactions have on the development of children and the adults those children become. It has helped me tremendously to learn about these patterns of behavior, especially so that I might cultivate a more secure parental attachment for my own children.