Attachment Figures
Attachment figures refer to individuals who provide a sense of security and comfort to others, particularly in early childhood. These figures are typically caregivers or parents who play a crucial role in a child's emotional development and sense of safety. The quality of the attachment relationship with these figures can have long-lasting effects on an individual's social and emotional well-being.
8 Key excerpts on "Attachment Figures"
eBook - ePubChild and Adolescent Psychology
Typical and Atypical Development
- Stephen von Tetzchner(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Availability of Attachment Figures entails that they are receptive and open to communicate about emotional issues. In school age, psychological proximity becomes more important than physical proximity; knowledge about future availability, that an attachment figure will return, takes precedence. Children are now able to be apart from their mother and other Attachment Figures for longer periods, and do not need to make direct contact to restore a sense of security – a phone call can be enough (Kerns and Brumariu, 2016; Mayseless, 2005). In adolescence, attachment becomes less distinct and the behavior more varied. The need for security via others not only diminishes, but runs counter to adolescents’ need for independence and the growing autonomy typical of this age (Ammaniti et al., 2000). Adolescents more often use their friends when they feel a need for security, and although they begin to develop emotional ties in romantic relationships, these are activated and terminated under different conditions and therefore do not replace the attachment relationship with parents. Romantic relationships are more reciprocal than attachment relationships, in which an older generation protects a younger one. Still, even in adulthood, attachment to parents and other important persons does not disappear. According to Bowlby, attachment fulfills the same function throughout life: to seek and maintain proximity. Adult relations, too, can be described as either secure or insecure. Signs of insecure attachment in adulthood include lack of openness or undiscriminating intimacy, excessive jealousy, feelings of loneliness in relationships, a reluctance to commit oneself, and excessive demands for attention by the other part (Hazan and Shaver, 1994; Morrison et al., 1997)...
eBook - ePubFrom Birth to Sixteen
Children's Health, Social, Emotional and Linguistic Development
- Helen Cowie(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...There is a wealth of evidence to support the view that the early years lay a strong foundation for later emotional security and that many of the difficulties experienced by children and young people later on can be traced back to the first relationships with primary caregivers. In all societies, primary attachments are usually with the mother, though multiple attachments exist to a greater or lesser extent in the wider family network and in the community. However, there are many ways in which the attachment relationship is expressed, depending on the values and customs of the cultural group to which the child belongs. Parents in different cultures value the child’s security in different ways and for different reasons. In many cultures the grandparents play a prominent role in child-rearing and, where the parents work, may act in the role of primary caregivers. As Mesman, van IJzendoorn and Sagi-Schwarz (2016, p. 869) point out, on the basis of their analysis of a range of cross-cultural studies in Africa, East Asia, China and Taiwan, the Trobriand Islands, Japan and Latin America, it is essential to be sensitive to the wider social networks within which children grow and develop. If researchers only rely on the mother-infant relationship, they will lack the deeper understanding of the complex factors that lead to social and emotional security. Nevertheless, these researchers conclude that the formation of a secure attachment to a sensitive caregiver is likely to benefit the child emotionally and socially. The ways in which the caregivers express their sensitivity may vary depending on the cultural context. For example, Kermoian and Leiderman (1986) indicate that Gusii infants are accustomed to being greeted with a handshake instead of a hug by their parents after separation, whereas in Western cultures infants expect more intimate physical contact...
eBook - ePub- John Bowlby(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...It is most obvious whenever the person is frightened, fatigued, or sick, and is assuaged by comforting and caregiving. At other times the behaviour is less in evidence. Nevertheless for a person to know that an attachment figure is available and responsive gives him a strong and pervasive feeling of security, and so encourages him to value and continue the relationship. Whilst attachment behaviour is at its most obvious in early childhood, it can be observed throughout the life cycle, especially in emergencies. Since it is seen in virtually all human beings (though in varying patterns), it is regarded as an integral part of human nature and one we share (to a varying extent) with members of other species. The biological function attributed to it is that of protection. To remain within easy access of a familiar individual known to be ready and willing to come to our aid in an emergency is clearly a good insurance policy—whatever our age. By conceptualizing attachment in this way, as a fundamental form of behaviour with its own internal motivation distinct from feeding and sex, and of no less importance for survival, the behaviour and motivation are accorded a theoretical status never before given them—though parents and clinicians alike have long been intuitively aware of their importance. As already emphasized, the terms ‘dependency’ and ‘dependency need’ that have hitherto been used to refer to them have serious disadvantages. In the first place ‘dependency’ has a perjorative flavour; in the second it does not imply an emotionally charged relationship to one or a very few clearly preferred individuals; and in the third no valuable biological function has ever been attributed to it. It is now 30 years since the notion of attachment was first advanced as a useful way of conceptualizing a form of behaviour of central importance not only to clinicians and to developmental psychologists but to every parent as well...
eBook - ePubRethinking Attachment for Early Childhood Practice
Promoting security, autonomy and resilience in young children
- Sharne A Rolfe(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Writing from the perspective of his own socio-cultural milieu, Bowlby focused on the mother as the usual primary attachment figure while acknowledging the attachment roles of others, and that these could substitute for the biological mother, a point also stressed by Ainsworth et al (1978). Furthermore, Bowlby argued against any interpretation of his writings as implying that shared mothering is inevitably harmful to the child (see Bowlby, 1969/1982, p. 303), although he did indicate that there are limits to the number of caregiving figures to whom children should be exposed. Attachment theory has thus from the outset recognised that children form attachments to people other than the mother. For some children the birth mother may be entirely absent as a figure of attachment, due to her death, protracted illness or protective concerns that have resulted in removal of the child from parental care at birth or soon after. In many families, the mother may share the care of her child with others due to paid employment or other responsibilities. Primary care of the child may be taken by someone else, such as the child's father or another family member, a family friend or early childhood professional. In some families, the mother is the primary attachment figure, sharing child care with others only occasionally In the first volume of the attachment trilogy, Bowlby (1969/1982) considers the figures to whom a child's attachment behaviours may be directed. He raises questions about the possibility of multiple attachments, whether these develop simultaneously or not, whether all Attachment Figures are treated alike, and whether the birth mother necessarily has to be the principal figure of attachment...
eBook - ePubAttachment Theory
Working Towards Learned Security
- Rhona M. Fear(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...I think that it will be apparent that I believe that this period of intrapsychic conflict is seminal in the child’s development. Additionally, children are best suited to living in homes with their parents, or at least with a “significant other” (perhaps a grandmother, for example) that they can call their own. This helps to provide what Bowlby came to call “a secure base”. He went on to realise that attachment behaviour involves a need to keep proximity to one’s attachment figure. He said, “All of us, from the cradle to the grave, are happiest when life is organised as a series of excursions, long and short, from the secure base provided by our Attachment Figures” (Bowlby, 1988, p. 62). Essentially, attachment theory is a spatial theory, involving the need to keep the attachment figure at a distance that the individual finds comfortable. This might mean a literal distance, or, as Holmes designates it, an invisible “Maginot line” (Holmes, 1993, p. 70) as can be seen in the child at playgroup who plays with his chums, somewhat in parallel play, a few feet away from mum, and regularly comes back to check her out, and tug on her skirts in order to gain reassurance. Alternatively, it might mean proximity in a more sophisticated and abstract form, where a photograph of a loved one suffices, or even the holding on to a transitional object. I have known clients of mine, deep in a dependent transference, keep by their sides a book that I might have lent them, or even go to sleep at night with one of my business cards clutched in their hand. I would wish, however, to take issue with Bowlby’s dictum that living with two parents is always best. Living with two parents is best if the parents are enjoying a close relationship. Sadly, this is not always the case. I have borne witness to many clients’ complaints that they wished their parents had divorced earlier because they suffered the effects of seemingly interminable aggressive conduct (both emotional and physical)...
eBook - ePub- Peter Fonagy(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Given the power of the biological forces driving the human attachment system, it is assumed that almost all human beings will become attached. Attachment, as we have seen, may be secure or insecure. Secure attachment implies representational systems where the attachment figure is seen as accessible and responsive when needed. Anxious attachment implies a representational system where the responsiveness of the caregiver is not assumed and the child adopts strategies for circumventing the perceived unresponsiveness of the attachment figure (Ainsworth et al. 1978). Bowlby was prescient in assuming that caregiver responsiveness was critical in determining the security of the attachment system: “the extent to which the mother has permitted clinging and following, and all the behaviour associated with them, or has refused them” (Bowlby 1958, p. 370). As we shall see, considerable empirical support has been gathered for this assumption (De Wolff and van IJzendoorn 1997, NICHD Early Child Care Research Network 1997). Thus the central feature of the internal working model concerns the expected availability of the attachment figure. A complementary working model of the self is also envisioned by Bowlby. The key feature of this is how acceptable or unacceptable the child feels in the eye of the attachment figure. A child whose internal working model of the caregiver is focused on rejection is expected to evolve a complementary working model of the self as unlovable, unworthy, and flawed. Although not explicitly stated by Bowlby, these models of the attachment figure and the self are transactional, interactive models representing self–other relationships...
eBook - ePubParenting
What Really Counts?
- Susan Golombok(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...This is partly because children's main attachment figure is usually the mother and also because mothers are generally more involved than fathers in the day-to-day care of their children and so are easier to engage in research. But as we have seen in Chapter 2, children do form attachments to their father and from the findings of the fourteen studies reported above where children's attachment to both parents was assessed, the proportion of children securely attached to their father was almost identical to the proportion classified as securely attached to their mother. We know that children who lack the opportunity to form attachments at all are likely to experience psychological problems in later life, but what about children who are insecurely attached? Are these children also at risk? A number of studies have addressed this question by using the Strange Situation Test to classify children as securely or insecurely attached and then following them up to determine whether the insecurely attached children are disadvantaged in comparison with their securely attached counterparts with respect to various aspects of social and emotional development. Many studies have identified a link between attachment security in infancy and various aspects of behaviour in later childhood. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Securely attached children are, for example, more likely to play enthusiastically and co-operatively, have high self-esteem, be popular with other children, interact positively with visitors to their home, show independence at school, show competence in carrying out problem-solving tasks and ask for help when appropriate. It seems, therefore, that secure attachment relationships in infancy are associated with more positive outcomes for children in the pre-school and early school years...
eBook - ePubAttachment Theory in Adult Mental Health
A guide to clinical practice
- Adam N. Danquah, Katherine Berry, Adam N. Danquah, Katherine Berry(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Attachment based ‘supervision’ can provide a space for reflection on the emotional demands of the job (Winship 1995) and the complexities of relating to people whose attachment history is highly insecure. Identification of a vulnerable sub-group of staff with insecure attachment styles could lead to the provision of extra support; but could also place staff at risk of stigma and unfair employment practice. Conclusion In this chapter, we sought to set out why attachment theory is of particular practical relevance to services for forensic patients, whether in prison or secure mental health settings. We described the impact of attachment on the development of personality and how insecure attachment patterns can increase risk for the development of personality disorders. We have described the high prevalence of insecure attachment styles in forensic populations, compared to non-clinical populations; and the impact this may have on risk assessment. We have also considered how Attachment Figures can be potential victims of violence and how threats of loss of Attachment Figures can trigger violence. Finally, we have also explored how insecure attachment patterns in both patients and staff impact on therapeutic relationships in long-stay residential secure care; and looked at ways of managing interactions to help people become more psychologically ‘secure’. Note Aiyegbusi, A. (2011). Managing the nurse — patient relationship with people diagnosed with personality disorders in therapeutic community and secure mental health settings. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Middlesex University, Tavistock Clinic. References Adshead, G. (1998). Psychiatric staff as Attachment Figures. British Journal of Psychiatry 172, 64–69. Adshead, G. (2010). Becoming a care giver: attachment theory and poorly performing doctors. Medical Education 44, 125–131. Adshead, G. and Bluglass, K. (2001)...
