course material

1. Individual Differences in Attachment: Child Development
Individual Differences in Attachment: Child DevelopmentIndividual Differences in
Attachment: Child DevelopmentAttachment is a deep and lasting emotional connection that
links time and space between one person and another. John Bowlby developed the Theory
of Attachment through his work in child psychology. His theory proposes that attachment is
achieved when the parents or caregiver provides safety and security for the infant. Bowlby
thought that attachment was pre-programmed since infants could not survive without
others.A theory must consist of two concepts and a proposition. Within the Theory of
Attachment, the concepts are the caregiver providing safety and security, and the infant.
The proposition is the achievement of attachment.Throughout the 1930s, John Bowlby
worked as a child psychiatrist in London, where he treated emotionally distraught children.
His observations led him to believe that the child’s relationship with their mother greatly
impacted their development. The Theory of Attachment grew from the belief that there is a
link between infant’s relationship with their caregiver and potential developmental distress
later in childhood (McLeod, 2017).ORDER NOW FOR ORIGINAL, PLAGIARISM-FREE
PAPERSIf the caregiver meets the child’s needs, healthy attachment occurs. Consequently,
attachment in infancy influences the development of a child’s prosocial development.
Prosocial behavior includes manners that are positive and helpful. In children, these
behaviors may consist of confidence, sharing, or cooperating with others. These behaviors
result from the child’s caregiver being responsive and sensitive to their needs in times of
distress. The caregiver must recognize the child’s negative state, provide a compassionate
response, and see through to the resolution of the problem (Beier et al., 2019). In contrast,
children who could not depend on their caregiver to meet their needs face challenges such
as avoiding emotional intimacy and the inability to handle stress (Beier et al., 2019). When
the adult is inconsistent or completely unresponsive to the child, anxiety
develops.Identifying the child’s attachment to their caregiver guides future decisions.
During early childhood, the negative effects can be seen through poor social, coping, and
problem-solving skills, tantrums, clingy, withdrawn, or aggressive behaviors, etc. Not only
do these behaviors impact relationships, they can impact a child’s capacity for learning as
they age from the infancy stage, into early childhood, and beyond (Lewis et al.,
2015).ReferencesBeier, J. S., Gross, J. T., Brett, B. E., Stern, J. A., Martin, D. R., & Cassidy, J.
(2019). Helping, Sharing, and Comforting in Young Children: Links to Individual Differences
in Attachment. Child Development, 90(2), e273–
e289. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13100McLeod, S. (2017, February 5). Attachment

2. Theory. . Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html Individual
Differences in Attachment: Child DevelopmentLewis-Morrarty, E., Degnan, K. A., Chronis-
Tuscano, A., & Spine, D. S. (2015, April). Infant Attachment Security and Early Childhood
Behavioral Inhibition Interact to Predict Adolescent Social Anxiety Symptoms. .
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12336