Developmental Psychology Essay -- Papers

Developmental Psychology Attachments in Developments =========================== Developmental psychology is concerned with how our cognitions, emotions and behaviour change as we grow with age and experience. Babies, only a few months old develop close bonds called attachment bonds with some people in particular. These people are able to settle the child, if upset, more easily than others and the baby will become upset if separated from the attachment object for too long. There has been a big debate in psychology over the precise role the mother figure takes in child development generally and especially the emotional development. Topic 4 - The Development and Variety of Attachments ==================================================== Attachments are emotional bonds that are formed with people very close to us. For babies and young people these attachments are formed with the people who look after them, usually their parents that prove very important to them. As we grow up our attachment objects usually change and may include boyfriends and girlfriends. The development of attachments ------------------------------ When you have become attached to somebody it means that you have formed a special bond with that person and them with you. These "attachment bonds" are very important to us but more so at an infant age with the loss of attachments having a negative effect on an individual. Maurer and Maurer said that attachments are welded in the heat of interactions, which shows that attachments depend on the interaction between two people rather than simply just being together. Maccoby identified four ... ...owed signs of behavioural instability e.g. shaking were less likely to become securely attached to their mother. Cross-Cultural Variations in Secure and Insecure Attachments In the same way that there are differences in attachment behaviour between individuals there is also differences in from one culture to another. Secure attachment is important in all cultures and the concept of an internal working model being universal has become a widely accepted view. Researchers in many different countries have used the Strange Situation to investigate secure and insecure attachment. There is considerable consistency in the results across cultures that show there is a relationship between mother - infant interaction and secure attachment. This suggests that there is a biological or genetic basis for attachment formation.