ATTACHMENT Introduction Attachment is defined

Attachment is defined as the strong affectionate tie that we feel for the special people in our lives. It leads us to feel pleasure and joy when we interact with them and comfort when they are near us during stress. The infant's desire for closeness to other people is considered one of the most striking characteristics of infancy. Beginning manifestations of attachment include the infant's tendency to send positive emotional signals and seek physical closeness preferably to the primary caregiver; these behavior are evident by the middle to the end of the first year of the child's life. The infant's attachment to the caretaker serves as the prototype for later social relationships. Attachment provides closeness and comfort, and assists in social relationship development (Berk, 1991; Segal & Yahraes, 1978). Since these functions are such a consequential part of human development and quality of the life experience, the study of attachment is meaningful. The development of attachment, as well as the functions and styles of attachment are discussed.

Until approximately thirty years ago, it was thought that love for the mother was a consequence of her association with creature satisfactions such as alleviation of hunger, thirst, and pain. Sigmund Freud believed that the infant's upset at the mother's absence was based on fear that bodily needs would go unsatisfied; John Bowlby called this the cupboard theory of moth

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mforted by her sight, sound, and touch. Attachment of the infant to the caretaker provides closeness and comfort as well as social development. Research shows that infants can become attached to any individual who is a consistent source of stimulation, attention, and comfort, not just the mother (Biller, 1993; Gleitman, 1995). Freud was the first to suggest that the infant's emotional tie (attachment) to the mother will serve as the prototype for later social relationships. Research since Freud has demonstrated this view to be correct. The primary functions of attachment are therefore to provide closeness and comfort and to assist in social relationship development (Berk, 1991). Styles of Attachment Mary Ainsworth and associates analyzed mother-infant relationships and found differences in responses. A Strange Situation is widely used as a technique to assess the quality of attachment to a caregiver between ages one and two. Ainsworth believed that if attachment development was optimal, babies would show feelings of security in the presence of their mother and the quality of the attachment would be evident when fear and distress were activated. A stranger was introduced to a situation and then the mother and the st

Category: Psychology - A