Abstract This paper takes an in-depth look at Mary Salter Ainsworth, her childhood, her history and her academic achievements. This paper also explores Ainsworth's contributions towards the study of effective growth of children and the role of supportive relationship in many fields of development.
From the Paper "Ainsworth was admitted into the University of Toronto in the year 1929. She was admitted into the honors psychology curriculum along with only four other students. She completed her BA degree in 1935 and her Master's degree in 1936 from the University of Toronto. (Mary D. Salter Ainsworth) Ainsworth completed her Ph.D dissertation -'An Evaluation of Adjustment Based on the Concept of Security' in the year 1939. (Ainsworth, Mary Dinsmore Salter (1913-1999)) She was engaged in teaching at the University of Toronto for some years and joined in the Canadian Women's Army Crop in 1942 during World War II. In 1945 she could reach the rank of the Major in 1945. Returning from Army she rejoined the University of Toronto to teach personality psychology and engage in research. She married Leonard Ainsworth in the year 1950. After marriage they moved to London so as to enable Leonard to complete his graduation degree from the University College. (Mary D. Salter Ainsworth)"
Abstract This paper explores and analyses the possibility of children making multiple secure attachments to people that may not be part of their immediate family. One of the vital aspects of this discussion is a critical evaluation of Ainsworth's 'Strange Situation' and how this is disputed by Tizard (1991). Another important aspect is transition from home into nursery and the importance of effective key workers relating to the author's extended school experience. Yet another feature examined is the result of insecure attachments and attachment disorders and the implications these disorders have within the nursery or school setting. The main theorists that are analysed are Ainsworth (1978) and Bowlby (1982).
From the Paper "Belsky and Nezworski (1988) describes anxious attachment as children "who have been able to form a focused relationship with a discriminated and preferred partner whose attachments show an unusual amount of conflict regarding the perceived physical and emotional availability of the attachment figure". This can occur in situations where abuse is transpiring, where the child is attached to what the child would see as a secure base but the feelings are not reciprocated and the adult feelings are not accessible to the child. The implications of this sort of attachment can severely impact on the child's life within a nursery setting. The child may become extremely clingy to a key worker and refuse to be left alone because they are "still hoping for love and care" Bowlby (1980) as cited in Cassidy and Shaver (1999). "
Abstract The paper discusses how consistent and predictable care is essential to the social and emotional development of a child. The paper looks at J. Bowlby's theory of attachment, the research of Mary Ainsworth, and Erik Erikson's first stage of psychosocial development of personality. The paper attempts to demonstrate the ways in which early relationships can influence self-identity and how the environment plays an important part in this process.
Outline:
Introduction
Building Fully-Developed Human Beings
Conclusion
From the Paper "Research has shown that it is during the first few years of a child's life that cognitive capabilities, relational understanding, language, motor skills and emotional regulation are all developed and enhanced, and that each of these element acts as an important influencing factor in character formation and development. In fact, these first experiences, according to many professionals, are significant building blocks that form the foundation from which springs all future individual development (Barnes P., Personal, Social and Emotional Development, 1992)."
Abstract This paper considers the role childhood attachment plays in adult romantic love. Current studies on the influence of childhood attachment styles on adult attachment are reviewed and both contextual and cultural issues are discussed. It shows how findings suggest that there is a continuity of attachment style from infancy to adulthood, although adult attachment styles can be influenced by a number of factors.
From the Paper "A work that "revolutionized the study of adult romantic love" (Ridge and Feeney 1998 p848) was Hazan and Shavers (1987) study. This research was based on Bowlby's work and set out to examine the possibility that affectional bonds between adults are formed much the same way as those that bond human infants and their parents. They explore the notion that three major attachment styles in adults are based on Ainsworths mental models of self and social life mentioned above which are determined in infancy in part by relationships with parents. Therefore, they say a person's attachment style is set in childhood and that adult loving relationships vary according to the attachment histories of those involved. (Hazan & Shaver, p511)."
Abstract This research paper presents evidence that corroborates the author's claim that infancy is the most critical life cycle developmental phase. The paper discusses the window for the formation of healthy attachment relationships. The paper references the works of Bowlby, Ainsworth, Erikson and others to help support this claim.
From the Paper "The human life cycle model provides a significant tool for understanding of both the vulnerabilities and the potentialities for development in adults, children and infants. Human development during infancy is not a uniform..."
Tags: development, human behavior, anxious, avoidant, secure, dismissing, parenting, caregivers, Freud, love relationships, psychology
Abstract This paper explores combined cognitive behavioral and attachment theory applications in treating generalized anxiety. It reviews and critiques various cognitive behavioral approaches, as well as three attachment theories. The paper presents a case study in which the writer utilized behavioral management techniques and applied positive and negative reinforcements to alter an unpleasant behavior to a more appropriate and pleasant one. It presents the results of the study.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction
A. Purpose of Study
B. Overview of Study
C. Importance of Study
Chapter II. Theoretical Bases for Clinical Treatment
A. Cognitive/Behavioral Theory and Generalized Anxiety
1. Aaron Beck
2. Albert Ellis
3. Michael W. Eysenck
B. Attachment Theory and Generalized Anxiety
1. John Bowlby
2. Mary Ainsworth 3. Margaret Mahler
Chapter III. Client information
A. Presenting Problems and Initial Diagnosis
B. Client's Family History
C. Client's Present Circumstances
Chapter IV. Treatment History
A. Early Phase
1. Identifying Client's Underlying Assumptions
2. Managing Anxiety Effects
B. Middle Phase
1. Client Develops Ability to Recognize Causes for Anxiety
Implementing New Behaviors to Prevent Anxiety
Improving Communication with Her Son
4. Addressing Issues with Alcoholic Husband
C. Final Phase
1. Transference and Counter Transference Issues
New Concerns on the Horizons
Chapter V. Conclusions
From the Paper "Not surprisingly, EFT interventions have received a great deal of attention in recent years; in this approach, the clinician moves recursively between three tasks: (a) monitoring and actively fostering a positive alliance, (b) expanding and restructuring key emotional experiences, and (c) structuring enactments that either clarify present patterns of interaction or, step by step, shape new, more positive patterns (Robbins et al., 2003). Generally speaking, EFT therapists continually track and reflect upon the process by which both inner emotional realities and interactions are created. The therapist also validates each partner's realities and habitual responses so that partners feel safe to explore and own these. Internal experience is expanded by evocative questions that develop the outline of such experience into a sharply focused and detailed portrait (Robbins et al., 2003). Emotion may be heightened by images or repetition, or the therapist may go one step beyond how clients construct their experience by adding an element, such as asking if someone is not, as they say, only "uncomfortable" but even a little anxious. The therapist also reframes interactional responses in terms of underlying emotions and attachment needs and fears and choreographs enactments. The therapist follows and leads but is most active in Stage Two, particularly when structuring the change events mentioned previously (Robbins et al., 2003)."
Abstract This paper examines traditional schools of thought on childhood emotional development, recent research and probable future directions. The paper explains that one of the most important motivators for positive emotional childhood development is the social environment. The paper then points out that children who enjoy healthy positive social relationships tend to develop more proficiently on an academic and sporting scale; they are also more likely to have greater self-esteem and self-worth than those who endure relationship problems. The paper also looks at how the personality of adolescents is a very important part of childhood emotional development. The paper suggests that the development of children in modern times has been associated with sweeping global changes, perhaps most notably the Internet.
Outline:
Introduction
Vygotsky
Freud
Erikson
Ainsworth The Social Environment: An Important Part of Emotional Development
Older Children and Adolescence
Current Childhood Development Concerns
Conclusion
From the Paper "It is for this reason that children are taught at school from an early age the importance of practicing good social skills and engaging in pro-social behaviors. The importance of a positive social environment for children has been recognized by research which suggests that social development problems cause greater problems over time, leading to adult mental health problems (ibid, p. 98). However, approaches to implementing social skills in children have varied over the decades. Thinking in the 1970s revolved primarily around three schools of thought. The psychoanalytical school of thought maintained that through interpretation of unconscious thoughts, children develop a latent awareness related to appropriate social behaviors. The humanistic approach suggested that children benefit most from empathy and accepting environmental conditions, and that these preconditions were sufficient for future emotional development. The third approach, the behavior modification approach, proposed that appropriate behaviors be treated with reinforcement, increasing the chance that healthy behaviors would appear as the child developed (ibid)."
Abstract This paper discusses the theories of attachment of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. It first discusses the origins of the theories and modern moves towards practical treatment of attachment difficulties (such as separation anxiety) in adults. The paper also discusses mother-child relations in a modern environment and whether Bowlby's theories still valid.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Attachment Theories
Conclusion
From the Paper "Bowlby's theories still have relevance in the treatment of adults, and may be important in those adults with anxiety-depression, one of the most serious of the depressive disorders, and one which frequently has a less positive outcome than that of depression alone. Treating an adult through applications of Attachment theory may, therefore, provide a beneficial therapy to those adults."
"Bowlby's theories have been taken up by many theorists in the United States, and their work in this field continues to advance our knowledge of the development of the mind, and a child's relationship to the world around it."
Tags: separation anxiety, society development security
Abstract The paper outlines attachment theory as espoused by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth and then focuses on how Dr. William Sears promotes the "7 Baby B's" on parental attachment. The paper addresses public interest on the topic and devotes time to explaining the possibility of harming babies' brains by causing them stress. The paper goes on to show how a mother's bond promotes independence, improves the baby's behavior, advances development and is said to even make babies smarter. The paper concludes that listening to our instincts is perhaps the best thing that we can do to ensure our children a better start. Two graphs are included with the paper.
From the Paper "Every parent simply wants what is best for their children. When I first discovered my pregnancy, I was afraid that I would miss my single life and desire to be alone again. I certainly wasn't "prepared" for motherhood. However, the moment my son was given to me after birth, everything fell into place. Maternal instinct is not an old wives' tale. It is a scientific fact that there are chemicals produced in a mother's system after birth that fuel her desire to be close to her young. In this desire to keep our young ones close to us, to nurture and tend to their every need, science is finally beginning to prove that it is wise to succumb to Mother Nature."
