Review Paper on: Attachment, exploration, and separation: Illustrated by the behavior of one-year olds in a strange situation

Review Paper on: Attachment, exploration, and separation: Illustrated by the behavior of one-year olds in a strange situation

Introduction

Attachment is an emotional bond that forms distinctively between the infant and caregiver, commonly a parent. This bond not only encourages mental growth but also affects personality maturity and the ability to develop steady relationships. The paper under review looks at the attachment and related behavior. The concepts are tested based on a study of 56 white middle-class infants, 49-51 weeks of age, in a strange situation. The behavior is studied of the infants in the presence and absence of the mother to explore the attachment behavior. The early stage of life is important for humans as they learn essential skills such as speaking and walking.

Discussion

The study shows that the relation of a mother with the infant during the early years can help anticipate the behaviors in the later part of the life. The behavior of the infant changes when the person to whom he is attached is not around. The authors identify two main characteristics of attachment. The first is secure attachment and the other is insecure. A securely attached child will be upset when the mother leaves the room and will seek the mother's contact upon her return. The insecure child will be very upset when the mother leaves the room and will resist the mother's contact when she returns. This notion has been supported by researches that have been done in the future (Sroufe, 2005, pp.349-367).

The author believed that the mothers who responded to the infant more sensitively during the first three months of life had a more closeness in relations during the last quarter of the first year. A mother quick and relevant response to her infant's crying during the early months was related with less crying in the first year. The final observation of the mother-infant pair in the study was done when the infant was almost a year old.

Ainsworth used the Strange Situation experiment to carry out her study. This was a further expansion on John Bowlby's work. The study involved monitoring the infants that were almost a year old. The strange situation consisted of eight episodes which preceding in a standard pattern for all the subjects of study. The experiments were carried out in a room were the infants were kept along with toys to encourage them to explore. In addition, they were confronted a stranger and were twice briefly split and reunited with their mothers. Most of the infants behaved as Ainsworth had expected, as when the mother was away, they stood near the door and cried. After the mother came back they went up to her and asked to be contacted by holding up their arms. Once they were calmed down they rapidly went back to play. Not all infants showed the same behavior, some of them ignored the mother when she came ...