Analysis of Ainsworth´s Strange Situation - 773 Words

Ainsworth’s study â€Å"Strange Situation† showed that bonding between mother and infant has an effect on the infant’s behavior and development. How mother’s respond to their infant’s signals is major in the development of mother and infant relationships. Ainsworth study investigated how attachments might vary between children, the nature of attachment behaviors and styles of attachment. Ainsworth theory was to help prove validity to Bowlby’s attachment theory that infants who experienced a secure attachment â€Å"is likely to see attachment figures responsive, and helpful†. Ainsworth (1970) used experimental procedures in order to observe the variety of attachment forms exhibited between mothers and infants. Ainsworth used a sample of 100†¦show more content†¦Ainsworth analyzed her findings further and developed three types of attachment: secure, avoidant, and resistant. The secure type of child seeks protection or comfort from their mother. The secure type of infant uses the parent as a safety net to explore the environment and seek the attachment parent in times of distress (Main, Cassidy, 1988). The avoidant type of infant resist attention from their mother. The resistant type of infant tends to stay close to their mother (Fraley Spieker, 2003). Ainsworth’s theory about attachment has been found by many researchers to have validity. Many researchers have duplicated Ainsworth procedures in order to examine if there is any change over time between mother and child’s attachment styles. Many studies have shown validity to Ainsworth findings, such as: Toni Antonucci Mary Levitt (1984) they found consistency between attachment styles at 7 and 13 months. Main, Kaplan Cassidy (1985) assessed infants before 18 months and with both mothers and fathers and then followed up with them at the age of 6 and their findings were the same as Ainsworth. They found that 100% of the secure infants were still secure and 75% of the anxious-avoidant were still anxious-avoidant. Attachment Matters Ainsworth’s research along with other research has shown that the reward for a child during their first year of life is related to the cues from their parent.Show MoreRelatedA Study On Infant Mother Attachment1493 Words   |  6 PagesInfant-mother attachment was first proposed by Bowlby (1958) and was further explored by Ainsworth and Bell (1970) in a Strange Situation study where they categorized infant-mother attachment into three which are secure, avoidant and ambivalent. In this context, attachment can be defined as an interaction between a child and a mother which implies affections that is observable through the act of the child to seek for proximity or contact with the mother (Dallaire Weinraub, 2005). Nevertheless,Read MorePsychology is not just common sense1300 Words   |  6 PagesTheory was continued by Mary Ainsworth, who added greatly to the original concept of attachment discovered that the theory consisted of three main sub-behaviours or attachment styles, i.e. Secure, Ambivalent and Avoidant attachment. Her psychological methods and study, dubbed as Ainsworth’s â€Å"Strange Situation† in 1970, revealed the insightful results of attachment on behaviour. She observed children from the ages of twelve to eighteen months and their reactions to situations where they were left aloneRead MorePersonality Development By Mary D. Salter Ainsworth And John Bowlby1322 Words   |  6 Pagesplentiful. However, explanations have often proven to be disputable and researchers continue in their effort to determine how attachment develops and what factors influence such development. This brief critical analysis of An Ethological Approach to Personality Development by Mary D. 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From the time of the child’s birth until two years of age, the unit of analysis is the mother and after two years, the child becomes the unit. The cause is seen as maternal sensitivity during the critical periodRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1423 Words   |  6 Pagesof attachment asserts that an infant forms an attachment to the primary caregiver to ensure survival. Developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth furthered this idea by devising attachment styles in infants. Ainsworth believed that the quality of care given by the mother or primary caregiver results in the infant developing a secure or insecure attachment. Ainsworth identified three attachment styles, namely; secure, avoidant and anxious/ambivalent attachments. As the word infers, a secure infant hasRead MoreThe Effects Of Maternal Reflective Functioning On Infant Mother Attachment Essay1918 Wor ds   |  8 Pagesfear, the attachment behavioral system is activated and motivates the infant to seek out the caregiver for protection, comfort, and support. Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters Wall (1978) conducted an empirical study known as the â€Å"Strange Situation† to assess infants and toddlers’ responses to strangers and to a brief separation from their mother. Ainsworth et al. (1978) categorized infants according to their responses to one of three categories: â€Å"securely† attached children were upset by the mother’sRead MoreThis Paper Investigates The Application Of Attachment Theory2882 Words   |  12 PagesThis paper investigates the application of Attachment Theory to the study of infants with sensory-motor disabilities. It first summarizes the tenets of classic Attachment Theory as developed by Bowlby and Ainsworth in the second half of the twentieth century. Next, it argues that some of the underlying assumptions of the canonical form of Attachment Theory need to be revised in light of feminist and cultural critiques and work in Disability Studies in order to develop more appropriate metrics andRe ad MorePerspectives on Individual Development and Change Essay2500 Words   |  10 PagesThe aim of this assignment is to provide a critical analysis of theory in relation to psychological and emotional impact and its application to social work. I will look at the psychological and emotional impacts in relation to discriminatory and oppressive constructions in order to develop and demonstrate my understanding of social work within a multicultural diverse society. I have chosen internal working model and within this attachment theory as a psychological theory, widely used within social