The attachment theory asserts that there is an emotional bond formed by every individual depending on the immediate caregiver one finds themselves with. In this development process of all human beings, there are changes in the people one is likely to be in association with. At a young age, people find themselves closer to their parents especially mothers. The emotional bond existing between a child and the mother begins at the age of nine months to one year in which one can recognize the mother and distinguish her from other people. There is a sense of security connected with this in that one feels emotional comfort when in association with the mother at this age. This sense of security based on one’s attachment can gradually change depending on the age and the environment in which one finds themselves in.
It is learned that the aspect of attachment is a lifetime phenomenon in which people will develop different attachments around different people they find themselves in company with. Couples, for instance, will develop a sense of security on each other depending on the strength of their intimacy bond and dependence. This research seeks to find out whether a strong physical and emotional attachment of a person to a given primary giver at a given stage of development is vital for the development of a person. The major focus of this paper will be on the impact of `Secure` type of attachment between children and their caretakers or mothers as well as the attachment between loving partners.
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The Rationale of Attachment Theory
Attachment theory is based on the emotional links between individuals and suggests that the original attachments are able to leave a permanent mark on our lives ( Bretherton & Munholland, 2008) . Some children lack experiences in their early lives that assist them in preparation for uncertainties that regards the development into independent persons. Children have difficulties in forming and maintaining strong relationships with people around them (Gordon, 2008) . Secure attachment theory helps people to understand the reasons for these problems and underpins the tactic we take. Moreover, the rationale of the attachment theory is to recognize the barriers that occur to study for our children to support them in overwhelming these blocks. An example from the Bible: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6, The Holy Bible Version). Children are equipped with the values and morals of a given society thus are able to relate with people around them. The reason as to why I choose this topic is that it rotates around real-life experiences hence I will be able to discuss it using a wide range of knowledge and examples from my own family experience.
Findings and Discussions
Measures and Constructs of Attachment in Embryonic Stage
The infant contribution to the process of attachment goes beyond biological relationships as always believed. Taking a keen look at the mother to child responses during their time of reunion, there are cases of influential maternal behaviors exhibited by the mother. It is inferred from the relationship of the child to mother that the maternal behaviors of the mother occupy a greater emotional space to the child. This creates some sensitivity to the child pertaining to other people whom the child will deem as strangers.
The mothers who demonstrate sensitive behaviors in their caregiving exercises are the ones who are capable of treating signals given by children with attention. On the same note, they can interpret the children’s signals appropriately and respond aptly to such signals. Again they can react swiftly to the child within the expected time and act swiftly before the development of frustration by the child. The kind of caregiving the child is subjected to is likely to become key to their future expectations which forms part of their behaviors throughout life.
Between nine and twelve months, infants develop a certain system to sustain proximity to their moms; they prefer their mother to other people and other caretakers. It is in the mentioned stage that infants react to outsiders with avoidance and fear. Children feel intimacy and positive expectations when they are close to their mothers. However, they feel less secure when they are away from their caretakers. Without the relationship of child and mother which assures the child of security, there is the likelihood that the child will extend the effort to find it elsewhere a situation which will require more energy ( Holmes, 2014).
Grownup Attachment to Parents
The emotional attachment of young adults is dependent on given variables. According to the theoretical findings on the attachment of young adults, childhood socialization contributes a lot. When this population perceives their childhood life to be marked by either punitive or rewarding experiences, their attachment will vary accordingly. Depending on their socialization orientations, adults whose childhood experience was marked by punitive activities will develop different attachment from those adults whose childhood was a rewarding experience. This is regardless of whether the action emanates from the parents or the stranger.
It is of significance to put into consideration that one’s grownup attachment should not inform the conclusion about their childhood experiences. The grownup attachment depends on the interactions with the people they associate with like friends or work colleagues. As per the attachment theory, childhood experiences with the parents affects both the representational and functional underpinnings of their attachment make up. Additionally, childhood experiences with parents are likely to influence behaviors such as exploration, sex, caregiving, and affiliation. Again the demonstration of these behaviors can be influenced by situational attachment to security. These behaviors are considerably affected by reactions of parents such as rewarding affiliations and encouraging a child to be supportive of friends and siblings. These may have effects on the emotions of an individual at an adult age.
The adults who experienced punitive actions from their parents are likely to have weaker attachments to their parents than those who received rewarding actions. However, it is conclusively affirmed that the attachment approaches do not elusively mediate the linkage between the internal working models of early emotional socialization and adult behavioral traits ( Shaver & Mikulincer, 2004). There will be conduction of an interview exercise in which the missing data about the people of under 25 years of age and below will be targeted so as to ascertain the influence of the attachment of parents to the emotional makeup of this population at the adult stage.
Attachment to a Loving Partner
There are studies which have been conducted to find out the relationships between the romantic partners and the idea of attachment and security. This can be seen in the incidences of separations during times of adversities such as wars in which the secure individuals are realized to have positive emotions once they are reunited with their partners. The case is different for the partners who are anxious and avoidant.
Attachment in the Learning of Old Age
Attachment is influenced by the changes in the roles at old age in which there is an aspect of the interplay of caregiving systems. This is common for people in romantic relationships in which there is contention on who is wiser and stronger. Older adults’ social networks shorten and they tend to cut links with most of the people within their lives as age catches up with them. They shed off the friends they had at workplaces and no longer take part in the community developments. It should, however, be realized that they don’t shed their social attachment in entirety, rather they remain with the core attachments like the spouses and children. Another important aspect pertaining to old age attachment is that when people age they tend to focus on religious beings for attachment. Among the people mostly found in this category are the African Americans who are within the age range of between 70 to 100 years and have lost attachment with most of their people. It is of interest to learn that people of old age tend to rely on the symbolic figure for their attachments. This is common for the people who have lost a partner like their spouses or anybody in emotional partnership.
Summary of the Attachment Methods
The secure attachment method is brought about by history characterized by responsive and warm interactions of people with their caregivers. People within this kind of attachment feel secure being next to their caregivers and partners whom they are in attachment with. On the same note, they tend to have healthy relationships and positive views of their attachments. In this attachment, people give reports of their satisfaction with their attachment relationships. They feel comfortable with independence and intimacy. Adaptive functioning and secure attachment are enhanced by a caregiver who offers emotional availability and support. The caregiver, in this case, displays characteristics of appropriate responsiveness to the child and is in command to influence the child’s emotions positively or negatively. In the case of parents, they develop responsive behaviors through fidelity which in some cases happens in a gradual manner. The parents learn to use techniques such as good fidelity. This acquisition comes after a number of interactive sessions with the child ( Killmeyer & Kaczmarek, 2017). Apart from secure attachment method, there is an insecure attachment method which is comprised of categories of attachments such as anxious pre-occupied. People in this category tend to seek aspects of approval and sense of belonging amidst others. They are in need of intimacy and responsiveness from their potential attachments. In some occasions, they find themselves valuing intimacy to the point that they over depend on their attachments. They tend to have lower self-esteem and have a less positive view of themselves. They are ever anxious unless they are in the company of the attachment figure. They tend to blame themselves for the absence of responsiveness from their attachment.
The secure attachment method is based on an individual responsiveness to the attachment. In most instances it involves children developing a belief of protection around their caregivers and parents. Secure attachment stipulates that when children are attached to their parents or caregivers they tend to be happier being closer to them. The situation changes when they are separated from their parents or caregivers making them upset. Another method of secure attachment is the ambivalent attachment in which a child becomes overly upset upon separation from a caregiver. The case is not changed with the introduction of another caregiver in which they do not recognize other people except their parents.
There is also an avoidant attachment in which children tend to keep off their parents. This condition can be instigated by factors such as abuse from the parents or the neglect leading to children developing an attachment to other people like fellow children or teachers.
There is a change in the attachment partners as one develops into a mature being. There are two distinctive relational domains of attachment. These relational attachments include parent to child and adult to adult. During the time of infancy, a number of people including parents or members of the family such as the elder siblings take the role of attachment in which they act as protection and security to a child. Later in life, there is a transformation to this as there are new people who interact with these individuals in the adolescent stage. They tend to take new and different people along with them in their lives so as to complete the emotional and proximity gap. These new people in most instances include romantic lovers or personal friends. In the academic settings, they may include teachers and supervisors. Depending on the circumstances it may involve the symbols or religious beliefs such as God and Buddha. This in many cases in the case of older people who are in fear of death or have lost their spouses ( Obegi & Berant, 2010).
There has been an expansion of the attachment theory in the past years with the scientific approach and its original foundations. At its inception, the focus was much on the behaviorism. Currently, there is the application of this theory in clinical work which makes it a universal tool as it can be incorporated into modern research and social work disciplines ( Schore & Schore, 2008). The family structure can influence the perspective of understanding in an individual from one generation to another. Insecure young adults are likely to depend on their parental relationship while people who feel secure depend much on their romantic lovers ( Cox et al., 2008).
Conclusion
In summary, it is appropriate to infer that the development of a human being is characterized by different behaviors and perceptions. Each stage of development requires different social and behavioral activities which can be accomplished by new attachments like work colleagues, fellow students or religious orientation. Therefore, it is within a good standing to aver that an individual’s life interactions are influenced by attachments created during the idividual’s lifetime. The reality is that as one finds self in a different environment, they acquire new traits and new attachments in their new environment.
References
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Gordon, T. (2008). Parent effectiveness training: The proven program for raising responsible children . Harmony.
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