Infancy, according to

Ainsworth, Erikson, and Bandura,

and the impact neglect has on

development

Amy Wiltsie

Professor Laura Schwinn, HSV 504

Introduction

Childhood neglect endured during the infancy stage of development can influence and have a “snowball effect on their subsequent successes in later stage development” (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010 p. 9). Infancy, the time between birth and 12 months old, is a critical stage of development, as human growth escalates rapidly during the first few years of life. It is a period of growth that is especially sensitive and vulnerable to the effects of maltreatment (Hildyard & Wolfe, 2002). When childhood neglect occurs during this very sensitive period, issues of safety, attachment, and social-emotional functioning are often identified as areas that need immediate intervention.

The following paper will focus on the issue of early childhood neglect and the possible effects it can have on development during infancy according to three expert theorists Mary Ainsworth, Erik Erikson, and Albert Bandura. This paper is also written using the stories from “Paul”, (a pseudonym), a victim of childhood neglect:

My name is Paul. I was born in 1995 to my mother who was thirteen years old. Her boyfriend, my father, was seventeen. My father was never involved in my life, as he was actively involved in criminal behavior, which ultimately led to his early death by gun violence. I was ten months old when my father was killed and I have no memories of him. My mother hid her pregnancy until she was 36 weeks and did not receive any prenatal care. Although she was pregnant with me, she experimented with drugs and alcohol, which may have altered my prenatal development. My mother was very young; a child herself; and did not welcome the