Lauren Brine

ASSESSMENT 1 PART 2: ESSAY

A TTACHMENT THEORY

The attachment theory is drastically different to theories such as Piaget’s Cognitive and
Vygotsky’s Socio-cultural theories as Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby research a deeper focus into
the well-being and relationships that children establish in early years, compared to Piaget’s and
Vygotsky’s theories that centralised mainly on the cognitive developments of the child. The
Attachment Theory holds high relevance to educators, allowing teachers to be better informed
about the process of building healthy learning relationships with their students (Riley, 2010, p.11).
This essay will focus on Ainsworth’s and Bowlby’s key ideas, the impact this has on my developing
pedagogy and the strengths and limitations of the Attachment Theory.

There are a number of key ideas outlined by Ainsworth and Bowlby that are critical to the
understanding of the attachment theory. These ideas include secure attachment, avoidant
attachment, resistant attachment, disorganised attachment, pre-attachment phase, attachment in
the making, clear-cut attachment, and the formation of reciprocal attachment. In her research
Ainsworth developed a procedure of observation, titled Strange Situation, where infants were
exposed to two brief separations and reunions with their parent (Cummings, 1993, p.121). The
infant’s response to this situation could then be classified into one of the four different types of
attachment that Ainsworth observed in children (Cummings, 1993, p.121).

In Secure attachment the child uses their parent as a safe and secure base, and will show signs of
distress when separated from their parent, which may include characteristics such as crying, clinging
or even screaming (Berk, 2013 p.430). Once reunited with their parent the child is easily comforted
and seeks contact and interaction from both their parent and their surrounding environment (Hardy
and Prior 2001 p.50). Secure attachment is founded off the caregiver’s consistent response and
predictably in regard to the infant’s needs and this plays a large role in the production of the child’s
internal working model of confidence in themselves and others (Riley, 2010, p.14). This type of
attachment can be seen in early childhood settings where the parent implements consistent positive
reinforcement when interacting with the child. Ainsworth further stated that a child with secure
attachment will have a confidence to tackle situations effectively and seek help if required (Geddes,
2003 p.232). Over time, as the child settles into a school environment, these reactions may decrease;
although the child still has a secure attachment to their parent.
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The next attachment stage that Ainsworth researched in infants was avoidant attachment. In this
stage it was observed that the infant, when separated from their parent, did not appear distressed,
illustrating a more amiable manner to their environment than to their parent (Berk, 2013).
Furthermore, on return of the parent the child seems unresponsive and avoids contact (Berk, 2013,
p.430) showing greater interest in their environment (Hardy and Prior 2001 p. 50). Avoidant
attachment is usually developed when the caregiver is unpredictable or has been rejecting the
infant, therefore, the child would minimise their needs in order to lessen the pain of constant
abandonment (Riley, 2010, p.14).

Resistant Attachment, Ainsworth observed, is where children become very distressed by separation
(Hardy and Prior 2001, p.50), similar to secure attachment, however, upon return of the parent the
child is difficult to comfort, and will be physical when held (Berk, 2013 p.430). Furthermore, the child
will be conflicted and lack confidence in their mother’s responsiveness due to their parent’s
insensitivity to their signals, which may result in contradicting needs (Geddes, 2003 p.235).

The last stage of attachment that Ainsworth researched was disorganized attachment. This type of
attachment illustrates the greatest amount of insecurity within the child where, on reunion with
their parent, shows confused and contradictory behaviours often having a dazed facial expression
(Berk, 2013 p.431). It can be observed that the child fluctuates between fearfully avoiding all
contact, or desperately pursuing attachment or adopting frozen postures when comforted (Costello
2013).

Bowlby further researched the stages of attachment, however, unlike Ainsworth, Bowlby’s phases
were set out in a linear fashion and, like Piaget’s Cognitive theory, Bowlby sets boundaries for each
stage according to the age of the child (Berk, 2013).

The first stage that Bowlby outlines is the pre-attachment phase for children birth to six weeks (Berk,
2013). At this age the baby is able to recognise the smell, voice and face of their parent and through
innate signals such as grasping, crying, smiling and gazing, the child is able to initiate and attract
close contact (Berk, 2013). However, the baby does not react when left with a stranger as they have
not developed an attachment to their parent (Berk, 2013).

Bowlby’s second phase was observed in children 6 weeks to 6-8 months old and is known as the
‘attachment in the making phase’ (Berk 2013). In this phase infants begin to recognise the difference
between their main caregiver and other adults and will settle quicker and babble more around their
parent, however, they do not protest when their caregiver is absent (Berk, 2013). Moreover, infants
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begin to learn that their behaviour has effects on others and begin to establish trust within their
caregiver (Berk, 2013).

In the next phase of Bowlby’s continuum, called ‘clear-cut attachment’, the child begins to develop
an attachment to their caregiver (Berk, 2013). When the child is around 6-8 months to 18-months
old they begin to view their parent as a secure base when exploring their environment, constantly
checking that their parent is still within proximity (Berk, 2013). When the caregiver is absent the
child shows signs of separation anxiety either crying or following their caregiver (Berk, 2013). This
phase shares some similarities with Piaget’s Cognitive Development theory particularly his first
‘Sensorimotor stage’ (Marlowe, Canestrari, 2006 p.101). Piaget outlined in his research how infants
develop an understanding of ‘object permanence’, the understanding that an object still exists even
when they cannot be seen (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2016). This is in conjunction with Bowlby’s clear-
cut attachment phase as, when the caregiver is removed from the child’s field of vision, the infant
searches for them illustrating a level of awareness.

A ‘formation of reciprocal relationship’ is the last phase that Bowlby researched in his continuum
(Berk, 2013). Children 18 months to 2 years and older, as observed by Bowlby and supported by
Piaget’s cognitive theory, have a greater understanding on the departure and arrival of their
caregiver due to large developments in cognitive and language abilities. Similar to the ‘Sensorimotor
stage’ of Piaget’s theory, the child’s developing object permanence is clearly illustrated in Bowlby’s
last phase as the child gains a further awareness of the existence of their parent caregiver, even
when the child cannot see them (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2016).

Through researching and learning about the attachment theory there are many strategies
that I could implement into my developing pedagogy. To actively implicate Ainsworth’s secure
attachment stage I would personally introduce and explain who I am and help them navigate
through their classroom to build confidence in their surroundings. I would further develop a lesson
plan for them to follow to establish a sense of consistency. To apply both Ainsworth’s and Bowlby’s
key ideas I would implement positive activities that will allow the child to explore their emotions and
feelings. Through the use of ‘emotion cards’ and Kimochis I will help children come to turns with
their own emotions, assist them in expressing their feelings and facilitate their development in
recognizing and the appropriate reactions to others feelings. By nurturing my current existing
attachments with parent, relatives, friends and siblings I will help build a safe and secure
environment within my classroom where children work collaboratively I will do this by holding
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activities that allow parents/carers and friends to be actively involved. These activities will range
from ‘show and tell’ to excursions.

The Attachment Theory has three key strengths that make it an effective strategy learning
theory for teachers. Firstly, both Ainsworth and Bowlby’s research highlights the overreaching
importance of meeting children’s emotional and social needs to help establish healthy development
throughout their childhood and adult life (Green and Piel 2016). Secondly, Ainsworth’s stages of
attachment have inspired other researchers to explore the concept of adult attachment styles
(Green and Piel 2016). Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver are two researchers that were influenced by
Ainsworth’s observations, developing their own four types of adult attachment stages (Green and
Piel 2016 p.167). Thirdly, Ainsworth’s method of experimentation, known as the ‘strange situation’,
has been proven to be a solid scientific research method and has further been used to research
children’s emotional and social development (Green and Piel, 2016).

However, there are a few key limitations within the attachment theory. In both Ainsworth’s
and Bowlby’s research they focus particularly on a single primary caregiver parent; a focal point that
excludes different family units and cultural values (Green and Piel 2016). The attachment stages of
resistant and avoidant attachment are classified by the responsiveness and sensitivity that the child
illustrates on separation and then reuniting with their caregiver parent (Berk, 2013) (Hardy and Prior
2001, p.50). However, what both theorists fail to discuss is the effect culture has on the
interpretation of infants sensitivity and responsiveness (Soo See Yeo, 2003, p.295). An example of
this can be seen when comparing western culture to aboriginal culture. It is stated by Soo See Yeo
that, in Aboriginal communities, infants may breastfeed from various ‘mothers’ and will therefore
not show obvious signs of distress when separated from their caregiver as the infant has a range of
different nurturing figures that they have also formed attachments with (Soo See Yeo, 2003, p.297).
In comparison, infants in western cultures only feed off the one parent figure, lacking the level of
exposure to strangers that an aboriginal child may have had, resulting in more apparent signs of
anxiety when the infant is left (Soo See Yeo, 2003, p.297). Lastly, the theorists do not explain how
children still form attachments with abusive or neglectful parents (Green and Piel, 2016). Neglectful
parents do not respond to the infant’s needs or reactions, however, the child is still observed to
create a level of attachment with their caregiver.
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In conclusion, Ainsworth and Bowlby illustrate their own unique stages and phases of a child
attachment which equip educators with key effective information that will allow them to build
stronger relationships with their students.

Word Count: 1,710

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REFERENCE LIST

Berk, E (2013), Child Development, Pearson, Boston

Costello, P (2013), Attachment-based psychotherapy: Helping patients develop adaptive capabilities,

American Psychological Association, Washington, DC US

Cummings, M (1993), Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research and Intervention,
University of Chicago Press

Geddes, H (2003), Attachment and the child in school, part 1, Routledge

Green, M and Piel, J (2016), Theories of Human Development: A comparative approach, ed.3,
Routledge, Oxford

Hardy, C and Prior K (2001), Occupational Therapy for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Harcourt
Publishers

Riley, P (2010), Attachment theory and the teacher-student relationship: A practical guide for
teachers, teacher educators and school leaders, Routledge

Soo See Yeo (2003), Bonding and attachment of Australian Aboriginal Children, vol.12, issue 5, Child
abuse review

Woolfolk, A & Margetts, K 2016, Educational psychology,  4th edn, Pearson Australia, Melbourne