Social Work 2DLC

1
Social Work 2DLC

• John McCormack

2
ATTACHMENT

• A central issue in early-life development
• A tenet That the bond b/w mother child
  explains personality development
• Freud said we turn to others only to satisfy
  narcissistic/ egocentric needs
• Attachment behaviours crying, clinging, cooing,
  etc., generated by unsatisfied drives / needs
• Children born with social need (not just
  egocentrism) to attach themselves to others?
  Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth.

3
ATTACHMENT

• .. A LONG ENDURING, EMOTIONALLY MEANINGFUL TIE
  TO A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL. (NFP 2001)
• Dimensions phases / time pre-attachment,
  clear-cut, etc secure vs anxious resistant
  avoidant etc.. See next o/head.
• Role of parent sensitive, responsive? Mother
  father differences? Affects infants temperament /
  personality development? And, cognitive
  development 9language acquisition

4
ATTACHMENT

• Bowlbys Control theory 1950s studies strong
  mother-child bond essential for to psychological
  well-being. He saw this missing in delinquent
  boys.
• Effects of poor attachment hinders psychosocial
  development, may affect ability to trust and
  attach to others.
• Our aim as S/Wk to facilitate attachment

5
Three Types of Infant Temperament
Extracted from Newman Newman 2003 p.144
6
Bowlby's Steps in Infant Attachment
7
Trust v Mistrust Trust Links confidence with past
to faith in future Related to concept of
attachment Central figures seen as trustworthy
sense of own value Mistrust arises from wariness
(startle response, sudden loss of support), lack
of confidence in carer, doubt of own
lovableness Lack confidence in good intentions of
others - people respond harshly, doubts
trustworthiness of environment Insecure
attachment - lack of care, lack of
communication Experience parents as physically,
psychologically unavailable Lack of capacity to
gain comfort from others Withdrawal, depression,
grief, lethargy, loss of appetite Later impacts
in anger, anxious, resistant behaviours,
inability to form close relationships Negative
view of self Resolution is a real psychological
achievement to minimise wariness Can mature into
a paradigm for understanding life - eg religious
faith that ameliorates lifes complexities with
faith in a greater good, a greater source of love
transcending daily dilemmas. What implications
for social work do you see in all of this?
8
Industry v Inferiority Ability to behave
independently Dressing, feeding self Playing
alone, with peers Sleeping on own Demands for
autonomy can be exasperating challenging parents
good intentions. Parents must allow children to
try things they cannot do and engage new
tasks. Grows as succeed in doing things on
own Self-confidence With continual discouragement
and criticism shame and self-doubt grows Left
feeling violated a values social standard Develop
a concern about saving face Can also develop from
violating own ideals as a result of developing
idea of what is good Come to expect to fail in
what they do High levels of resentment,
irritability, tendency to blame others Caregivers
need to respond flexibly accepting the emerging
self whilst being supportive Central process
involved is imitation