Attachment Patterns

Attachment Patterns

Introduction

Attachment patterns can be termed as the biological connection that exists between a child towards a specific figure. The child might seem to discover comfort or threat in the attachment body. Therefore, children are known to have a sense of connection with the attachment bodies based on the reaction they perceive in them. An attachment figure can eliminate thoughts of hatred and fear from the child at such a tender age. Moreover, children seem to evaluate attachment figures that are responsible and authoritative depending on their actions towards the child. In this case, the figure might provide the kid with the needs he or she requires in the society. It can also be ready to facilitate communication and connection with the child.

Consequently, it is right to depict that attachment theory elaborates on the development of the kids and the patterns they are like follow during growth. Hence, their caregivers of children from the period of birth serve to portray a connection with them. The children, in this case, grow and develop according to the experiences and interactions they are exposed to by their caregivers. Hence, the issue of child attachment has been developed through a theory that was postulated by Bowlby (Ricco and Sierra, 2017). He seemed to determine the relationship between child development and the experiences he or she receives from their caregivers. Hence, it was apparent that the mind of a child is programmed biologically and thus, adapted to seeking proximity from the attachment figures in the society.

Different Types of Attachment Patterns

Bowlby further indicated that seeking behavior among the newborns as they grow can be analyzed through natural selection concepts (Fonagy, 2018). It was developed through the theory that caregivers to the children in society help in the developing closeness in terms of emotions and physical experiences. The responses generated are later through an internal working model of a kid programmed and geared towards certain notions of the experiences and the caregivers. Hence, attachment is significant to the child as it builds on the safety and security available. Accordingly, the kid, in most instances, is likely to return to the caregiver when responses in the surrounding environment are threatening. Therefore, there exist four different types of attachment patterns between child and attachment figures in society. They include; secure, ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized or disoriented attachments.

In a secure attachment, it is correct to indicate that children portray free exploration in the presence of caregivers they are safe with but seem to have typical engagement with strangers in the absence of the secure figure. However, the individual they have a secure attachment with returns; they tend to be excited. Ambivalent, on the other hand, refers to a pattern where kids have limited exploration in strange environments.

Moreover, they tend to seem distrustful and cautious about figures that seem strange to them even when their caregivers are present (Brumariu and Kerns, 2010). In avoidant patterns, the child is likely to have little attachment towards their caregiver. In this case, they might even avert from and show ignorance to the attachment body in charge of him or her. Hence, they develop limited emotions when he or she departs them. Such kids are more likely not to explore much in the surrounding environment regardless of who is available. In the disorganized pattern, the children do not fall among the three categories.

Avoidant Attachment Pattern

In a specific pattern, it is worth depicting that children are less concerned about the presence of their caregivers. Moreover, they seek to explore the surroundings and have little care and connection with their caregivers. It is right to indicate that in cases where the kids are given an option in the society to choose between their caregivers and strangers, they do not have firm preferences. It is because they have little connection with caregivers and do not rely on them for safety.

The pattern, however, can be classified into distinctive subcategories within itself. For instance, anxious-avoidant attachment is associated with children in the 70s during the 19^th century that never exhibited distress when separated from their caregivers (Ricco and Sierra, 2017). They further portrayed different features of either ignoring the caretaker on return, which is the initial subtype. In the other subtype, such children were characterized by the behavior of approaching mixed with some form of ignorance towards their caregivers.

It can be established that the kids tend to indicate some ignorance during incidences of stressful situations with caregivers. Hence, they were more likely to associate caregivers with the historical connection of stressful action, thus, avoiding them. Ainsworth discovered that the pattern was typical in instances where the needs and shares of the kid were not met (Fonagy, 2018). Thus, the mindsets of the children would be programmed to learn that the communication needs that exist between him or her, and the caregiver had little influence on the wants. It can further be depicted that the parents or individual response to the kids had a failure in submitting the requirements. They were ignorant, abusive, and responsive resulting in the avoidant nature among children towards them.

The pattern describes the avoidant nature portrayed by the kids to facilitate maintenance of the conditional proximity towards the caregiver. Moreover, it allows them to come up with strategies to distant themselves and further avert from rejection that they are likely to be exposed to by the caregiver.  The pattern might also affect children in terms of developing conditional proximity. In this case, the desire that exists to generate closeness with the individuals such as parents in the society will be diverted away. Hence, they are likely to be affected in developing control over themselves and further avert from chances of having emotional overwhelming in the presence of the caregivers.

In this pattern, kids develop the behavior in which they ignore the caregiver on his or her return. However, the connection that might occur slightly reveals closeness. An instance where the mother arrives is likely to be connected with the presence of a slight eye connection and a mere smile before turning and moving away from the mother. If their caregivers opt to maintain contact with the baby through holding him or her, then the kid is likely to either avert from developing eye contact with the mother. It is only expected to occur after the child has been flattered and cajoled to create interest in the caregiver.

Research studies have shown that more than 25% of the newborns growing portray an avoidant pattern towards their caregivers (Monteleone et al., 2017). Moreover, it is developed that such individuals in society reveal minimal distress, especially when their mothers are not available. They are less attracted to make contact with their mothers upon their arrival. Hence, they can be perceived as the kids with the best strategy to contain distress compared to the rest portraying other patters. It is indicated that they reveal a certain degree of psychological arousal, a factor that can be used to establish the learning process in them to contain distress.

Thus, the pattern is familiar among the caregivers who are less concerned with the emotional defects experienced among children. They can be in the form of a kid being hurt, strange feelings that require safety, and other forms of distress. Hence, neglecting behaviors such as children crying and harsh treatment is more likely to propagate the avoidant nature among them. The kids feel that there exists a tendency of being punished through relying on caregivers; hence, resorts to be independent in the future.

Effects of Avoidant Attachment On;

Child, Social, and Emotional Development

The avoidant attachment is likely to affect the child towards the emotional attachments he or she is expected to develop. Hence the kid will have poor development in terms of social interactions, coping, and aggression towards members. Furthermore, avoidant attachment prevents the child from learning certain teachings from their caregiver. The child, therefore, grows with the portrayal of poor strategies in eliminating stress. They are more likely to be affected by emotional distress since they lack a connection to promote communication with their caregivers to relieve the emotions. Furthermore, child development will be impacted by the pattern through a lack of empathy (Brumariu, 2015). The child is likely to be aggressive to strangers and develop to be lonely in society. The fact that their mothers are less responsive and neglectful towards their emotional experiences will result in difficulty in the understanding of emotions as they grow.

The social development of such children is likely to indicate isolation from others in society. Moreover, they tend to have limited relationships that indicate a lack of feelings of affection and love towards others. The pattern further instigates aggressiveness, especially when the development involves meeting with other children or individuals in society. The pattern also affects the reliance of children on friends within society. They tend to solve personal issues amongst themselves without opening to others. However, they are perfect in cases where they are exposed to distress. The pattern enables kids to develop strategies that will allow them to resolve issues of emotional pain that builds up within the society.

They are less likely to adapt to social setups when undergoing avoidant attachment patterns. It can be depicted that the model denies them the capabilities to cling towards specific individuals. They are more independent, and this might result in the future effects of being neglectful and abusive parents (Fearon and Roisman, 2017). The effect of detachment and complexities with rage are shared among the children as they grow. They detach themselves from their parents are show little care of their presence. On the other hand, avoidant patterns are likely to contribute to aggressive reactions towards those who try to socialize with them. In most cases, they seem to neglect such individuals and focus on pursuing personal interests.

Effects on Educational Performance

The pattern significantly affects the children’s performance in society. It is worth establishing that the academic performance of avoidant kids indicates the characteristics of being independent. Moreover, it can be ascertained that such children have the lowest forms of mastery motivations. They can also be connected with the higher performance during the initial ages in school. The kids have little emotional connection towards their caregivers; hence, they are not affected by their absence as compared to secure pattern. Therefore, the exists a higher likelihood among them to concentrate and remain independent towards achieving higher academic performance.

It can also be developed that the lack of bother among children towards their mothers is less likely to affect their previous attachments. In this instance, the avoidant attachment might also affect their academic performance when punished. The children tend to perceive teachers with negativity hence, contributing to poor academic performance among them. However, the positive side of such children is that they have less bother towards the absence of their teachers. Hence, they might focus on studying independently. The lack of their parents or caregiver does not cause stress and distress that can affect their studies. They might perform better academically than their colleagues who exhibit secure attachment patterns.

Effects of Relationship with Peers and Parents

Avoidant attachment pattern results in negative relations between children with parents and peers. They seem to withdraw from connections with peers to remain independent. The effect is experienced in their relationship with parents. They tend to reject the love and affection parents have towards them. Moreover, the kids cannot show affection to the parents, especially on their return. They are affected in a manner that makes them not to act enthusiastically towards the nature of parents holding them. Such kids look away and avert from developing any form of connection with parents and peers that attempt to create a relationship with them.

Conclusion

It is reasonable to maintain that child attachment pattern affects their academic performance, relationship with others in the society, and socio-emotional development. Moreover, it determines the perseverance and survival of kids in various environments. Thus, it is worth indicating that kids that go through avoidant patterns are likely to be anti-social, aggressive, abusive, neglectful, impulsive, and resistant to make connections. Despite their ability to survive and contain emotional distress, independence might affect them mentally and psychologically. Thus, the defects of detachment and inability to maintain significant relationships of affection and love is connected to the complexities of the pattern. Moreover, the avoidant pattern trains kids to control issues on themselves and might instigate higher academic performance in the initial years of learning. It is because of lacking connection towards mothers; hence, they usually act and are less bothered by their absence.

References

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Fearon, R. P., & Roisman, G. I. (2017). Attachment theory: progress and

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Fonagy, P. (2018). Attachment theory and psychoanalysis. Routledge.

Monteleone, A. M., Castellini, G., Ricca, V., Volpe, U., De Riso, F., Nigro, M., … & Treasure, J.

(2017). Embodiment mediates the relationship between avoidant attachment and

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Ricco, R. B., & Sierra, A. (2017). Argument beliefs mediate relations between attachment

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