Attachment in childhood.

Temperament is thought to be a genetic based trait present in infancy and related to attachment (Buss & Plomin, 1992). Many mothers observe differences in child reaction to stimuli with some children temperamentally difficult and others easy. These differences may later have personality consequences as parents respond differentially dependent on the child’s temperament. Cross-cultural studies suggest some important comparative attachment differences. A study of middle-class mothers in the United States were compared to a sample of mothers from Kenya. Important similarities were found in the desire of mothers to touch and hold the child. However, American mothers talked more to their infants whereas Kenyan mothers communicated more with physical touch (Berger, 1995). Perhaps differences in the mother’s verbal communication have a broader effect on cognitive development required in an industrial society, and U.S. mothers reflect in their communication style a cultural evolution to provide this advantage in the U.S. sample.

An important developmental achievement in infancy is the formation of attachment, first to the mother and later to the broader extended family and community. The recognition of the face of the mother and members of the family are important precursors to attachment. Studies have shown that most infants form attachment to the immediate family at about age seven months, but react differentially to strangers. However, the manner that infants react in the presence of strangers appears to follow universal patterns (Gardiner, Mutter, & Kosmitzki, 1998). Some children are anxious and avoidant, others anxious and resistant, and yet others are secure and are not threatened by the presence of strangers. However, the prevalence of these types has been found to vary by cultures (Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg, 1988). Secure attachment is the basis for other developmental tasks that follow.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 697