Name some attachment behaviours and when they are activated
Crying, following, reaching, clinging
Activated under conditions of threat
What constitutes threat?
Danger (real or potential)
Internal: sickness, hunger, pain, temperature
External: loud noises, strangers, being alone
When the attachment system is activated…
The exploration system is deactivated
What percentage of children are classified as securely attached
50-60%
What percentage of children are classified as insecure avoidant/ anxious avoidant?
20-25%
What percentage of children are classified as insecure resistant?
10-15%
What percentage of children are classified as disorganised/ disoriented?
10-25% but up to 60% in high risk samples
What are characteristics of secure attachment type
- Positive view of self
- Positive view of others
- Belief in loveability of self
- Belief that others are generally trustworthy
- Social world is a safe place
- Open and engaged interaction with attachment figures
- Explore freely when feeling safe
What are characteristics of insecure avoidant/ anxious avoidant attachment types
- Caregivers tends to be rejecting
- Infant learns to suppress negative emotions
- Best response is to self reliance
- Being ‘good’ means not becoming upset
- Positive view of self
- Negative view of others
- Others are seen as untrustworthy
- Physically and emotionally avoid their attachment figure
- Deny the importance of the attachment relationship
What are characteristics of the insecure resistant attachment type
- Caregiver tends to be inconsistent
- Best outcomes result from hyper activating negative affect
- Difficult to soothe as young children
- Preoccupation with availability
- Negative view of self
- Angry with others
- Desire to please others
- Clingy And dependent in order to gain a caring response from caregiver
What are some consequences of attachment
- Secure attachment to parents predicts academic achievement
- Insecure toddlers tend to have shorter attention spans and perform worse on cognitive tasks than secure toddlers
- Secures engages more in joint reading and had better pre-reading skills
In Brennan, Clark & Shavers ECR Scale what two dimensions of insecurity are used as measurements for attachment?
Avoidance of emotional intimacy
Anxiety about abandonment
What 4 styles of attachment were identified by Bartholomew
- Dismissing
- Fearful
- Secure
- Preoccupied
What are some intra-personal consequences of individual differences in attachment styles
- Self esteem
- Mental health
- Coping
- Percieved social support
- Physical health
- Pain tolerance
- Emotion regulation
What are some inter-personal consequences of individual differences in attachment styles
- Caregiving
- Parenting
- Empathy
- Prosocial behaviour
- Prejudice/ discrimination
Define Bowlby’s internal working models (IWMs)
Schemes
Cognitive structures that hold information comprising our attachment styles
How can security priming be beneficial?
Can improve:
- Relationship expectations, self views and attachment anxiety
- Compassion, altruism
- Negative reactions to out groups
- Cognitive openness
- Pain threshold and tolerance
