Parent-Child Attachment: Brief Theory and Importance
It is now widely recognized by psychologists that the first few years of a child's experiences are crucial in her subsequent personality and behavioral development. The most critical aspect in this regard is the child's relationship with her parents in the formative years. The recognition of this simple fact has led to the development of the "attachment theory" that emphasizes the importance of a close parent-child relationship in promoting a balanced, caring and trustful individual-so essential for the evolution of a healthy society. This essay gives a brief overview of the "parent-child attachment theory" and outlines its importance.Various people have carried out research on parent-child attachment during the last sixty years. Prominent names among them are John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth and William Sears. (Nix 2005) Bowlby, regarded as the father of the attachment theory, believed that all infants would become "attached"1 to their care-givers regardless of the type of care they receive-whether the care received was abusive, responsive, or inconsistent. However, the
Building on the work of Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth devised a procedure, called The Strange Situation, to observe attachment relationships between a mother and child. Her observations led her to categorize children on the basis of their type of attachment such as "secure," "anxious-ambivalent," "anxious-avoidant" or "disorganized." According to her theory of attachment, those children who received secure attachment were best able to adapt themselves and to cope with problems in later life, as they had a "secure" base to return to. ("Attachment Theory," 2005) William Sears and his wife Martha Sears were responsible for coining the word "attachment parenting"-a parenting style that is based on the attachment theory put forward by Bowlby and Ainsworth. They have written a number of books advocating a nurturing style of parenting aimed at creating an early, strong emotional bond that leads to a secure and enduring relationship between a child and her parents. Some of the specific practices recommended in attachment parenting includes co-sleeping, i.e., sleeping in the same b
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Approximate Word count = 723
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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