How do we develop relations with other people

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How do we develop relations with other people?

• Bowlbys ethological theory of attachment
• Measuring the quality of attachment
• Mary Ainsworths Strange Situation
• Mary Mains adult-attachment interview
• Judith Harris The Nurture Assumption

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• Bowlbys ethological theory
• built-in behaviours attachment behaviours
• 1) signal behaviour bring mother to infant
• 2) approach behav bring infant to mother

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Phases of Attachment
Phase
Age
Characteristics
Infant indiscriminately coos and clings.
1. Preattachment
0 to 1.5 mos.
2. Attachment- in-the-making
1.5 to 7 mos.
Infant begins to show preferences for
specific individuals .
3. Clear-cut attachment
Infant forms attachment bond.
7 mos. to 2 yrs.
4. Goal- corrected partnership
2 years to adult
Child takes into account caregivers needs as
well as own needs.
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Strange Situation
Event
What to watch for
1. Mother, infant enter room.
2. Infant explores room.
Is infant curious? Does infant use mother as
base for exploring?
3. Stranger enters, talks to mother,
approaches infant.
Degree of stranger anxiety.
4. Mother leaves room, leaving infant with
stranger.
Degree of separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
5. Mother returns to room stranger leaves.
How does infant react to being reunited with
mother?
6. Mother leaves room infant alone.
Degree of separation anxiety.
7. Stranger enters room.
Degree of stranger anxiety.
Infants reaction to reunion.
8. Mother returns, stranger leaves.
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Patterns of Attachment
Securely attached (65)
Children show distress when parent leaves room
seek comfort and contact upon reunion then
return to play.
Insecurely attached-avoidant (20)
Children seem aloof and may actively avoid parent
upon return.
Insecurely attached-ambivalent (10)
Children become upset when parent leaves at
reunion they cannot be comforted and show anger
to parent but, at the same time, express desire
for contact.
Insecurely attached-disorganized (5)
Children act confused upon reunion. After
parents return, they may stop moving or show
contradictory behaviour patterns.
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What Mary Mains Data Show
Memory for childhood relationships
Experience of intimate partnerships
Childrens style of attachment
View of themselves as adults
Adult pattern of attachment
View of relationships
Autonomous
secure
easily recall exp. with parents
Believe they are likable by others
Characterize love by trust
tend to be more caring
Dismissive
avoidant
indifferent to feelings about relat.
describe selves as independent
believe they dont need partner
fear of intimacy
Preoccupied
ambivalent
confused about past relationships
have many self-doubts
view love as painful struggle
difficulty staying in love
Disorganized
disorganized
Confused and uncertain about past relationships
usually suffering from unresolved childhood
traumas.
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Judith HarrisGroup Socialization theory
Socialization is a highly context-dependent form
of learning.
Cinderella effect