...CASE STUDIES ON ATTACHMENT By Dr. Mark Beischel CONTENTS Introduction Case 1 Secure vs. Insecure Attachment: the Story of the Boy and the Crow Case 2 Signs and Symptoms of the Insecurely Attached: the birth of a Giraffe Case 3 Continuous Lies: the Peanut Butter Boy Case 4 Curiosity and the Setting of Fires: Burn, Baby, Burn Case 5 Avoidant Attachment: Run for Your Life Case 6 Attachment and Security: a Death Row Tale Case 7 Brain Development and A ffect Regulation: Classroom Back Stabbing Case 8 Parenting at Night: “2 x 10” Tale Case 9 Disorganized Attachment: Confusion in the Kitchen Case 10 Eating Problems: the First Supper Case 11 Regulating Stimulation: Disneyland, Here We Come Case 12 Executive Function Deficits: the Paper Clip and Fire Tale Case 13 Inhibitory Control of Responses: Jelly, Jelly, All Over the Wall Case 14 It is All about Survival: Gang Pressure and destruction Case 15 Working Memory Deficits: the TV Thief Case 16 Ado lescent Brain Development: the Cell Phone Caper Case 17 Adolescent Identity and Escape Behavior: a Fantasy from the Wild, Wild West Case 18 Resilience and Temperament: No Free Drugs Case 19 Reasoning and Affect Regulation: the Orphan Card Case 20 Families Evolve Slowly: How Many Babies? Case 21 Changing the Meaning of a Stimulus: the “Dorky” shoes boy Case 22 Displacing the Rage: Slipping into Psychosis Case 23 Distract Yourself with Other Things: Playing with Mud Case 24 Paranoid Belief Systems: the Tree...
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...Attachment is “the strong, affectionate tie that humans have with special people in their lives, which leads them to feel pressure when interacting with those people and to be comforted by their nearness in times of stress,” (Berk, 2012). There are four different types of attachment, which are secure, avoidant, resistant, and disorganized/disoriented. Attachment can begin to form before a child is even born and continues on until the end of life, so infant-parent relationship is an important component in every child’s life. For this study, we will only be looking at the insecure attachments in infants and toddlers. There are often factors that can interfere with an infant-parent relationship that may affect the child at that moment or even...
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...is the fear that the teacher will replace parents in their children’s affections. There are several conflicting emotions that the parent may have that contribute to this fear. One major conflicting emotion is competition. This includes competition in all areas. However, the main competition is for the child’s affection. The competition is intensified due to the child being attached to both the parent and the provider. Another emotion is insecurity. Parents can feel insecure then they perceive that they are not number one in their child’s eyes. Insecurity can also mean fear of abandonment or fear of being replaced. Parents may also fear that questions or criticism will put their child at a disadvantage in school. However, in most cases, the provider is the secondary attachment for the child. Guilt is another emotion parents sometimes may feel because the parents are not there as much as they should be because of work or other obligations. Parents are often show frustration at not being there and being able to help their children in addition to not getting to see them as much as the teachers do. Parents may be reluctant to express their concerns because of cultural beliefs related to the authoritative position of the teacher. Parents may also be unsure of how to express their concerns to the teachers. Research shows that parents provide a passionate feeling that is highly personalized and comes with a history and a future. During a power struggle between a parent...
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...reference to Attachment Theory discuss the importance of early childhood to emotional development. With reference to Attachment Theory this topic will discuss the importance of early childhood to emotional development. This work will be more focused in the development of the emotion of fear, anxiety and security or insecurity. For that reason, Bowlby’s theory is going to be considered due to the fact what he is the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as a ‘lasting psychological connectedness between human beings’ (Bowlby, 1964,p. 194). Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have a great impact than will go on later on. Moreover, Bowlby will deal in “Basic Postulates in Theories of Anxiety and Fear” where we can find also Freud’s point of view and other theorists where they try to explain the concepts of “anxiety” and “fear”. Later, we find Schaffer and Emerson whom did a studio with sixty babies to see the measure of anxiety they could experiment. No less important is when a child start to go to school. There is going to be a separation of the child from their family so as a result fears and anxiety can also be found in early ages. The main point of attachment theory is that mothers who take care and are responsible with their infants’ needs creates at the same time a base of security for the child. All these points will be discussed through the topic. Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist who...
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...purpose of this assignment is to outline how attachment, emotion and communication along with resilience all pose advantages and disadvantages for children starting a new school who come from many different social and cultural backgrounds within the same community. Insecurely attached children and their securely attached peers are looked at alongside parental anxiety as highlighted in Bayram’s (2014) newspaper article. Following on from this will be how emotions start once a baby is born, they gain attention through cooing, smiling and using movement of their body (Ibbotson 2015). A child’s emotional capabilities can help them through some of the challenges they will face when they start school. This could prove to be a barrier if a child...
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...Bowlby's Ethological Theory of Attachment Bowlby’s theory of attachment suggests that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, because this will help them to survive. He also believed that attachment behaviors are instinctive and will be activated by any conditions that seen to threaten the achievement of proximity, such as separation, insecurity and fear. (McLeod, 2007) He believed that infants are born with the need to attach to a caregiver. He suggested it is the child’s need for response and caring from the adults rather that of the feeding or changing. The baby and the immediate caregiver form a bond that is a basis for relationships as the child grows; it can either be secure or unsecure. Attachment develops in four phases: Preattachment phase (birth to 6 weeks), Attachment in the Making phase (6 weeks to 6-8 months), Clear Cut phase (6-8 months to 18 months), and Formation of a reciprocal relationship (18 months to 2 years and on). (Berk, 2014, p. 196) At the first stage between birth to 6 weeks, there is no formal attachment. The newborn does recoginize features and senses the mother, but also does not reject new caretakers. During the next few months of infancy, the baby becomes more self aware and can inititate a response from the caregiver. Bowlby called this a sense of trust. (Berk, p. 196) Even at this phase, the infant will not get upset when away from the caregiver. Between 8 months and 2 years the...
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...Bowlby's Attachment Theory John Bowlby (1907 - 1990) was a psychoanalyst (like Freud) and believed that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. Bowlby’s evolutionary theory of attachment suggests that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, because this will help them to survive. Bowlby was very much influenced by ethological theory in general, but especially by Lorenz’s (1935) study of imprinting. Lorenz showed that attachment was innate (in young ducklings) and therefore has a survival value. Bowlby believed that attachment behaviors are instinctive and will be activated by any conditions that seem to threaten the achievement of proximity, such as separation, insecurity and fear. Bowlby (1969, 1988) also postulated that the fear of strangers represents an important survival mechanism, built in by nature. Babies are born with the tendency to display certain innate behaviors (called social releasers) which help ensure proximity and contact with the mother or mother figure (e.g. crying, smiling, crawling, etc.) – these are species-specific behaviors. During the evolution of the human species, it would have been the babies who stayed close to their mothers who would have survived to have children of their own and Bowlby hypothesized that both infants and mothers have evolved a biological need to stay in contact with each other. These attachment behaviors initially function...
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...I believe a lack of early attachment can have extremely detrimental effects on a child, regardless of an on-going relationship. I have seen with my own family members that building positive and secure relationships with parents at a young age is crucial to developing trust. My stepbrother, Mark, had little to no attachment to his parents growing up. It has been tough to see how this has affected his development into adolescence. He is 19 years old now and has trouble respecting authority and listening to others. From what I have learned in this course, it is clear to me that he failed to develop trust in Erikson’s trust vs. mistrust phase (Berger, 2010). As an infant, his care was unreliable and unpredictable, so he could not look to his primary caregiver for stability and consistent care. As a child, he lacked the ability to have confidence in the world around him and to see that he could make a difference. Today, those issues have matured into heightened insecurities, anxiety issues, and many broken relationships. On the other hand, I think some children who lack attachment in their early years become obsessed with feeling loved that they grow over-attached in other relationships. As they mature they place much of their identity in being validated in romantic and non-romantic relationships (which can leave one confused about who they really are). Recent studies have even showed that a lack of attachment affects right brain development and biologically alters long-term behavioral...
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...Parent Style Attachment An Overview of Parenting Styles and Attachment The quest to explore the connection between parenting styles and attachment styles was an eye opening journey. We have traveled with the psychologists who have helped us along the way in our pursuit to recognize the parent child dynamics, as it relates to parenting styles and attachment styles. Through the use of literature and my real world observations, I will show some links between attachment styles and parenting styles. The four basic parenting styles are as follows: Authoritative Parent An Authoritative Parent is described by Baumrind as parents who "monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative” (Baumrind, The Influence of Parenting Style on Adolescent Competence and Substance Use, 1991). This parenting style is the most popular in the United States, although in specific races, cultures and socioeconomic groups this parenting style may not be very popular. The authoritative parent is one who understands a child’s mind to be tabula rasa. These parents provide a positive emotional climate. They commonly use induction and socialization to mold, grow and correct a child’s behavior while preparing them to be responsible...
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...From the moment we are born we are reliant on others for our survival. The attachment patterns established in infancy affect how we as humans perceive ourselves, interact with those around us and live in our world. Infants who experience confusing, frightening or broken emotional communications during infancy often grow into adolescents and later, adults who have trouble understanding their own emotions and those of others and have difficulty building and maintaining relationships and leading successful lives. Infant Attachment as defined in our textbook, is the close emotional bond between an infant and its primary caregiver. According to John Bowlby (1969,1989 as cited in King), in his theory of attachment, the infant and the mother instinctively form an attachment, he believed that infants are biologically pre programmed to form these attachments, that an infant’s attachment behaviors are instinctive and will be activated by any conditions that seem to threaten the achievement of proximity, such a separation, insecurity and fear. The way Bowlby saw it; infants are born with an instinct to survive. They signal their needs to their caregiver by crying, clinging, searching. The responsiveness of the caregiver determines whether the infant feels loved, secure, and confidant. The way in which the caregiver reacts, also determines what type of attachment the infant will develop. Bowlby thought that our early relationships with our caregivers serve as our schemas for...
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...quality of life. While recent media coverage of female victims increased IPV’s awareness and response from our society, it has done little to draw attention to the children, and adolescents who are exposed to the violence. Although the literature covers a lot of information from theorist’s, this literature review primary focus will be about children and adolescents who are expose to IPV and exhibits negative behavioral...
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...Introduction Attachment is the bond that links humans to vital people in their lives. This bond begins to develop early on in life. According to Berk (2012), infants can become attached to regular people in their lives before the second half of their first year of life. These early attachments are normally to the primary caregivers of the infant. An infant with an attachment disorder is an infant who is unable to connect with his or her caregiver. This can also be called insecure attachment, meaning that the infant is indifferent or opposed to the affections of his or her caregiver. Reactive attachment disorder, or RAD, is a common attachment disorder that causes an infant to show either no attachment to anyone or sweeping attachment to everyone (Lubit, 2009). Multiple studies have been performed to reveal the how individual situations affect the development of attachment disorders. Depressed mothers, parental divorce, and maltreatment situations have all been investigated to establish their connections to attachments disorders in children. By identifying the factors related to attachment disorders, the development of attachment disorders can be reduced by taking actions against these factors. Maternal Depression A great deal of research has found a link between maternal depression and the appearance of attachment disorders in children. A study performed by Campbell, Brownell, Hungerford, Spieker, Mohan, & Blessing (2004) examined...
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...Impact of poor attachment on personal development Attachment theory offers an understanding of personality development and behaviour in close relationships and provides an account of the difference in people’s emotional and relationship styles. It relates to how resilient children will become later in life when facing life stressors. In its earliest form, attachment theory concentrated on the dynamics and quality of relationships between children and their parents, but it has since been expanded to cover the lifespan. The clear result seems that early parent-child relationship, and the degree of successful attachment, mediates and influences the course of a person’s development. (Howe, 1995) This essay is based on theories and concepts put forward by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, the two most important people who have influenced the theory of attachment. In this essay I will look at the impact poor attachment has on a person’s development and the reason for choosing to explore this topic, is having developed a keen interest around the influence of poor attachment with my father and the impact it has had on my life in terms of loving, trusting and sexual relationships. Pearce (2009) states that attachment is a term that can be used to describe the dependency relationship a child develops between them and their primary care-givers and progresses throughout the years of their lives. We are not born with attachment but “this special relationship emerges over time and through...
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...Graves Attachment Theory Paper The attachment theory is used to explain the relationships between humans. This was primarily developed by a psychoanalysis John Bowlby who raised the issue about maternal deprivation that developed into the attachment theory. It mainly focused on the idea that infants need to create a bound with their caregiver in order to develop emotionally and socially appropriately. It was not until recently that the theory was extended to attachment in adults. Through new research it was found that these early relationship can have a profound affect peer relationships at all ages, romantic and sexual attraction, and responses to the care needs of others as well. This is explained through case studies and applying the finding to the theories developed by Bowlby and Mary Main, defining the types of adult attachment and analyzing those to a personal style of attachment. With understanding the theories of attachment two psychologist decided to expand on the ideas that had been developed by others in their field. Kim Bartholomew and Leonard Horowitz’s expanded on the idea that was presented by Bowlby about how children internalize their attachment relationships with their parents, and internalize that for future relationships. They “…have only recently examined the relationship between working models of attachment and social and emotional adaptation in adults” (Bartholomew and Horowitz, 227, 1991). Meaning there is studies now that examine the way children form...
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...me a broader picture of the concept of sensitive mothering, mother and child bonding and their impacts on the social and emotional development of a child. In this essay we will discuss sensitive mothering in relation to attachment theory of John Bowlby together with Ainsworth patterns of attachment. Also, link the concept with Erik Erikson psychodynamic theory and will look into researches on the impact of early attachments on social and emotional development over a life span. Sensitive mothering as explained (Ainsworth et al. (1971) in Meins et al. 2001) is mother’s sensitivity and her positive attitude towards a child. Sensitive mother is able to understand a child’s specific behaviour and respond to his/her needs on time in a proper manner. She is able to establish mother- child communication and can arouse child senses without obstructing child’s own interest and always puts her child first. Sensitive mothering allows emotional attachment, and enables mothers to read child’s emotions and respond to them accordingly. In contrast, in sensitive mother is the one who gives priority to her own schedule and her care is based on her own wish. Thus, she ignores the child’s needs and as a result unable to have an attachment to her child which leads to insecurity and unpredictability so the two of them are not emotionally connected. We typically assume sensitive mothering as a role of mother but it is a caring relationship that can be performed by any one not...
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