THEME 5.

1: AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT
First a and most important affective bond in early childhood: Attachment

Lasting psychological connectedness between people. Relatively stable representation of people.

Attachment: affective bond that the child establishes with one or several people in the
family/caregivers. It’s part of human social adaptation.

Newborns need to be cared for survival: endowed with perceptual capacities of the biological plan
that favour the social bond. Humans as social mammals: our development depends on the
establishment of social relationships.

HARLOW EXPERIMENT

Removed young monkeys from their natural mothers a few hours after birth and left them "raised" by
these mother surrogates. Monkeys spent more time with their cloth mother than with wire one.

Experiments unethical and cruel--> uncovered fundamental truths that influenced our understanding
of child development.

ATTACHMENT FUNCTIONS

 Objectively: favours survival (protection and physical care).

 Subjectively: provides emotional security (offers emotional resources). Ex.: The absence or loss
of attachment figures is perceived as threatening, causing feelings of insecurity, lack of
protection and helplessness.

To fulfill these basic functions the attachment bond has four fundamental manifestations:

1. Seek and maintain proximity.

2. Resist separation and protest if it is consummated.
3. Use the attachment figure as a security/reference base to explore the physical and social world.
4. Feel secure in the attachment figure in relation to well-being and emotional support.

Attachment develops through a series of differentiated phases:

 Birth-2 months old: indiscriminate social sensitivity

 2-6 months old: more differentiated social awareness and more interest for caregivers. Babies
usually does not manifest fear for unknown people.
 6-12 months old: wants to relate to well-known people, especially caregivers; they are afraid of
unknown people. Separation anxiety begins to be evident and it increases until 2 years.
 Up to 3 years old: Attachment stablishment. Certain degree of independence from attachment
figures. New mental abilities (internal model of affective relationships). Critical period in the
development of attachment.

Attachment can be evaluated through Ainsworth strange situation:

Brief and systematic procedure aimed at assessing the security of the bond in early childhood.
Observation how child organizes behaviour in relation to the maternal figure throughout some
stressful episodes 1. unknown environment 2. presence unknown person 3. separation from mother).

FOUR ATTACHMENT PATTERNS:

 ATTACHMENT EXPLORATIO SEPARATION MEET REACTION ATTITUDE TO
PATTERN N LEVEL ANXIETY UNKNOWN
PEOPLE
Secure High High Proximity and easy comfort Sociability
Ambivalent Low Very high Resistance A lot of caution
Avoidant High Low Indifference Indifference
Disorganized There is no organized attachment behaviour

PATTERNS OF ATTACHMENT:

SECURE: distress when separated from caregivers and joy when return. Children feel secure and
count on their adult caregivers. Through development: When the adult leaves, the child may be upset
but he feels assured that the parent or caregiver will return. These children know that their parent or
caregiver will provide comfort and reassurance.

Children play and explore in the presence of the caregiver in an autonomous way, although taking
she/he as a reference. They feel anxiety in moments of separation, but reunion is satisfaction

AMBIVALENT/RESISTANT: distress when parent leaves. Minimal/zero exploration in the presence of

the caregiver, ambivalent behaviours when meeting caregiver (search for proximity combined with
opposition) and great difficulty in being comforted.

Children who seek proximity and contact while resisting or opposing the figure of attachment. Great
anxiety in moments of separation. They hardly interact with unknown people.

AVOIDANT: avoid caregivers. Little or no anxiety separation, no preference between a caregiver and
an unknown person, avoidance of the caregiver in meetings (moving away, avoiding eye contact).

Children who are active during playing situations, regardless of whether their caregiver is present or
not. No attempts to initiate or maintain contact with the attachment figure

DISORGANIZED: confusing mix of behaviour. Seem disoriented, dazed, or confused. Children may
both avoid or resist contact with caregiver. Lack of a clear attachment pattern is linked to inconsistent
behaviour from caregivers. Parents as both a source of comfort and fear.

Children who seek proximity but avoid interaction in the reunion with caregiver. Manifest
incomplete behaviors or not aimed at a goal

THE STABILITY OF ATTACHMENT:

TYPE OF
ATTACHMEN STABILITY
T
Secure Confidence in the availability of other people. Trust in the interaction, without the
need for continuous contact with the figure of attachment and others.
Independence. Mental representation.
Ambivalent: Protection expectations not developed. Feelings of insecurity in
relationships. Persistent anxiety for fear of losing the relationship/ other unavailable
Insecure Avoidant: Avoidance and inhibition of signs and behaviours of affection to prevent
rejection, anger, or greater distance from another
Disorganized: Confusion about relationships. Feeling of affection for the other, but
also feeling of fear of rejection
BACKGROUND OF ATTACHMENT SECURITY: RELATIONSHIP WITH CAREGIVERS
Main determinant of the affective bond/attachment is the SENSITIVITY/RESPONSIVITY of the
attachment figure: “willingness” to understand the child's signals and respond appropriately
(importance considering mother's history, depression...). Synchrony and mutuality in the relationship
SECURE Reciprocal, mutually reinforcing caregiver-child interaction. Caregiver is
effective in interpreting the child's signals and responds contingently.
Caregivers are affectionate and are interested in the child, but have difficulty
interpreting the child's signals and establishing interactive synchronies. They
AMBIVALENT
are incoherent - sometimes they react positive, sometimes they are
insensitive. Child doesn’t develop protection expectations, does not know to
what extent he counts on the support figure
Caregivers are characterized by irresponsivity, impatience and rejection. They
AVOIDANT are intolerant of their child's signs of need. Children can be punished for
relying on a caregiver and avoid seeking help in the future. The child prevents
rejection, anger or distancing from the caregiver.
Caregivers are characterized by negligence and abuse. The child experiences
DISORGANIZE
cycles of protection and aggression for what he feels linked and at the same
D
time fears his caregiver.

The central theme of attachment theory is that primary caregivers who are available and responsive
to an infant's needs allow the child to develop a sense of security. The infant knows that the caregiver
is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to then explore the world.

SOME CONCLUSIONS

Representation of relationship with attachment figures - relationship with cognitive development).

This model serves as the basis for later affective relationships (attachment can affect future bonds
between romantic partners and friends).

TEACHER’S ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ATTACHMENT:

Other possible attachment figures: teachers, grandparents, or other usual caregivers. Regardless of
the attachment style that children construct with their parents, other figures may also represent the
establishment of a secure attachment.

Studies indicate that children can create secure attachments with teachers that are accessible and
responsive to their needs.