Assessment of Attachment Behavior

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how attachment might be assessed and whether it is useful. The paper explains that sensitivity, competence and a secure base are the three elements which seem to have a significant bearing on the demonstration and development of attachment. The paper also notes that the three things that make up the attachment relationship are sensitivity of the mother to the child and its needs, competency in completing the desires and needs of the child and providing a secure base for the child to cling to. The paper then points out that the origin of this "love" or "attachment" has only been studied by psychologists in the last 100 years, though humans have long speculated on its manifestations and irregularities in adolescents and adults. The paper concludes that it has already been determined that the attachment in the areas of fulfillment of needs is useful to the child in a physical way, but it is being assessed whether the attachment to the mother following infancy, determined by the mother's sensitivity to her child, is useful in other ways or not.

From the Paper:

"Attachment theory in psychology addresses the period of helplessness in infants and infants, during which there is a biological need for their mother's (or other caregiver's) protection and care. Attachment behaviors (such as approaching or not approaching a stranger, or smiling, or crying) at this age come from human evolution and provide an advantage for the child in the ability to survive through close proximity to the mother. It also has the benefit of increasing the many beneficial outcomes which the mother can provide. Attachment behavior is particularly noticed in times of stress, either within the child (hunger or pain) or from the environment (when the child meet with an unfamiliar person, or hears a loud noise). This noticeable attachment of mother and child peaks around the age of one, a time when the infant begins to walk and venture away from the mother."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Berk, L. E. Child Development (7th Edition). Allyn and Bacon, 2006.
• Harlow, Harry F. "The Nature of Love." Classics in the History of Psychology. (First published in American Psychologist, Vol. 13). Mar 2000.
• O'Connor, Thomas G. and Croft, Carla M. "A Twin Study of Attachment in Preschool Children." Child Development. Vol. 72(5). Sep-Oct 2001.
• Rothbaum, Fred; Weisz, John, Pott, Martha; Miyake, Kazuo and Morelli, Gilda. "Attachment and culture: Security in the United States and Japan." American Psychologist. Oct 2000.
• Smith, P.K., Cowie, H. and Blades, M. Understanding Children's Development (4th Edition). Blackwell Publishing, 2003.

More papers on Assessment of Attachment Behavior:

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• Article Review # 148338 : "Three Psychological Research Articles"

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