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Attachment
Healthy attachments are not made from perfect relationships. As you just read, the process of rupture and repair is a crucial part of a baby's brain development. These experiences help the baby develop a brain capable of recognizing sensory and emotional stimulation. They also teach the baby to communicate with the expectation of a response. As these functional capacities are being developed a relationship pattern is being created as a result of these attuned (or perhaps mistuned) responses. This further defines the pattern of attachment between baby and mommy – baby and daddy – and other consistent caregivers.
Module 2, Handout 1-Patterns of Attachment
Infants need secure, stable, caring relationships to develop secure attachments and the care giving environment will create safety and security or not. When it is not created a insecure attachment between the mother/caregiver and baby is developed. Below is a list of the different attachment styles.
Secure attachment – fundamentally – can count on caregivers to read my cues, repair when we miss. Overall feeling of love and self confidence – leads to exploration, moving out and back, practicing, Using co- regulation when needed, developing capacity for self-regulation.
Ambivalent – insecure attachment – Caregivers are inconsistent or not often available – more likely with depressed caregivers – frequently seen in children who are neglected by adults – doesn’t expect to be comforted by adults
Avoidant – insecure attachment – caregivers are seen as not safe. More likely when parent has been over controlling or harsh with punishment – (or abusive) – not comforted by parent- May engage indiscriminately with strangers
Disorganized – insecure attachment – most disordered pattern of attachment – no predictability in parent – confusing signals. Parents may at times be overly intimate and at other times harsh and inappropriate – parents who are using drugs often display extreme behaviors that are mistuned and often in direct opposition to a child’s needs.
Attachment is a two way street
Infants and young children display a wide variety of behaviors that solicit interactions with their caregivers. These attachment behaviors are used to seek responses and maintain closeness to their caregivers and promote physical safety and survival. Many parents and caregivers do not understand how much their children are taking in or needing their response. When parents/caregivers do not feel successful in engaging their children, they may also give up, blame the child, or blame themselves and distance themselves or become resentful or hostile.
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