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Importance of Sensitive Mothering

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Importance of Sensitive Mothering in Social and Emotional Development of a Child

Sensitive mothering has been defined and explained by different authors, but it was originally defined by Ainsworth and other intellects as the mother’s capability to recognize her child’s signs accurately and responding to them promptly, appropriately and contingently. A mother who is sensitive is usually able to perceive things from her child’s perspective or point of view. The quality of mother-child attachment is normally explained in terms of the child’s ability to use the mother as a secure base from which the child explore, and comfort herself during the times of distress and agony.
This explanation of sensitive mothering put forward that the distinguishing feature of such mother as being her ability to use information obtained from their children external behavior in making accurate interpretations about the mental state of the child that govern their outwards behavior. According to Ainsworth, this maternal cognition appears to go beyond the basic ability to simply recognize and promptly respond to child states such as hunger, distress and emotional discomfort.
The sensitive mothering provides a secure attachment that is well thought-out to reflect the child’s confidence in the mother social and emotional availability, responsiveness and to promote a trusting and positive orientation towards themselves, mother and the world. In turn, insensitive and relatively unresponsive mothering is said to lead to the growth of insecure child-mother attachment and total lack of confidence on the ability of mother to provide both emotional and social responsiveness. This is actually well-thought-out to nurture a negative and mistrusting orientation to the developing child.
According to the Bowlby’s theory, he consider the attachment between the child and mother to be both normal

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