Impact of Attachment, Temperament and Parenting on Human Development
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Review article http://dx.doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2012.55.12.449 Korean J Pediatr 2012;55(12):449-454 eISSN 1738-1061 • pISSN 2092-7258 Impact of attachment, temperament and parenting on human development Yoo Rha Hong, MD, Jae Sun Park, MD The purpose of this review is to present the basic concepts of attachment theory and temperament traits and to discuss the Department of Pediatrics, Kosin University College of integration of these concepts into parenting practices. Attachment is Medicine, Busan, Korea a basic human need for a close and intimate relationship between infants and their caregivers. Responsive and contingent parenting produces securely attached children who show more curiosity, self- reliance, and independence. Securely attached children also tend to become more resilient and competent adults. In contrast, those who do not experience a secure attachment with their caregivers may have difficulty getting along with others and be unable to develop a sense of confidence or trust in others. Children who are slow to adjust or are shy or irritable are likely to experience conflict with their parents and are likely to receive less parental acceptance or encouragement, which can make the children feel inadequate or unworthy. However, Received: 8 August, 2012, Accepted: 25 October, 2012 the influence of children’s temperament or other attributes may be Corresponding author: Jae Sun Park, MD mitigated if parents adjust their caregiving behaviors to better fit the Department of Pediatrics, Kosin University College of needs of the particular child. Reflecting on these arguments and our Medicine, 262 Gamcheon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan 602-702, Korea childhood relationships with our own parents can help us develop the Tel: +82-51-990-6230, Fax: +82-51-990-3005 skills needed to provide effective guidance and nurturance. E-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2012 by The Korean Pediatric Society Key words: Attachment, Parenting, Temperament, Development, Child This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by- nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Introduction their emotions. Thus, attentive attunement to all aspects of a child is a very demanding task. Parents want their infants to grow up healthy The birth of a child initiates a life-long process of mutual adaptation and to develop behaviors that allow them to take charge of their between the child and his or her caregivers and the broader social own lives. Parents want to know how to provide the best parenting environment. Relationships and patterns of interactions formed possible, especially when they do not want a mere repetition of during the early stages of life serve as a prototype for many interactions their own individual family histories. A review of previous research later in life and might have life-long effects1). Young children do not findings will provide some guidelines to answer this question. have the language ability to express to their caregivers what they need, so children often communicate through their behavior. Parents are often unaware of their child’s feelings or the mental representations of 449 450 YR Hong and JS Park • Impact of attachment, temperament and parenting on human development Bowlby’s key ideas about infant-caregiver mother as a secure base to explore the room and the new toys when attachment the mother sits in the playroom, or would they cling to their mother and refuse to explore? Second, what would happen if the mother was According to John Bowlby’s theory1) of attachment development, told to leave the room briefly and a stranger entered? Would the child a child is “attached” to someone when he or she is “strongly disposed be distressed but then comforted, or would they remain distressed for to seek proximity to and contact with a specific figure and to do so the entire period the mother was gone? Third, what happened when in certain situations, notably when he is frightened, tired or ill.” He the mother returned? Would the child be relieved, would they be noted the close attachment relationship between responsive caregivers indifferent, or would they be distressed? (typically the mother, but not always) and infants from about 6 From the children’s responses to these situations, Ainsworth months to 2 years of age. found that most infants had secure attachments. They played and The emotionally charged connection between caregiver and child explored comfortably when their mothers were present, became ensures that the two will remain in physical proximity, especially visibly upset when they left, and calmed quickly upon their return. when the child is between 8 and 18 months of age. When the infant Some infants, however, sought little contact with their mothers and becomes more mobile, he will rely on the caregiver less often for were not distressed when they left. Ainsworth labeled these patterns proximity maintenance, although he does not abandon it altogether. avoidant attachment. Finally, some infants showed anxiety even Once the child experiences the security of this physical closeness, when their mothers were near. Although they protested excessively he will develop the courage to explore away from the caregiver. This when their mothers left, they were not particularly comforted when fascinating paradox, the conversion from pursuing closeness to they returned, a pattern Ainsworth labeled ambivalent (anxious- moving away from dependence, is the core of attachment theory. In ambivalent, resistant) attachment. These three patterns are described other words, when a child is securely attached to his mother and the according to the caregiver’s style (Fig. 1). A fourth category, termed feeling of closeness is restored, the seeking of proximity and closeness disorganized attachment, was subsequently identified by Main recedes and the child turns to other interests, comfortably using the and Solomon and later added to Ainsworth’s original tripartite caregiver as a base of operations from which to explore. classification3) (Table 1). Ainsworth’s research model for testing attachment What makes the difference in attachment quality or quality style? Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist who studied with Although Bowlby acknowledged that feeding may facilitate Bowlby, developed a controlled laboratory situation called the “strange mother-infant proximity, attachment is not merely a function of situation,” so named because it is a novel experience for the child2). feeding4). Harlow and Zimmermann’s monkey study5) and Bowlby’s Ainsworth had mother and 12-month-old infant pairs play in a room observation1) in orphanages suggest that infants need emotional with toys and observed the infant’s reactions to several situations, support and contact in addition to food and shelter. Ainsworth et including separation, for 20 minutes. First, would the infants use the al.2) also closely observed mothers and children in their homes and Is mother prompt? If yes Consistent? Child explores, trust, Appropriate? is playful, sociable, Child feels un-inhibited, caring, secure, confident confident, motivated Yes, No, Anxious about no, no, Appears indifferent separation with yes, yes, to separation or crying, approaches no no reunion, protectively mother on reunion, Child tries to avoiding expression then resist contact seek attention of intense need Fig. 1. Three patterns of attachment corresponding to Ainsworth’s caregiving style. Korean J Pediatr 2012;55(12):449-454 • http://dx.doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2012.55.12.449 451 paid careful attention to each mother’s style of responding to her stimulation or excitability). Either too little arousal (lack of sensory infant’s behaviors, such as feeding, crying, cuddling, eye contact, input or boredom) or too much prolonged arousal is detrimental. and smiling, before the infants’ behavior was assessed in the “strange Consequently, optimal performance cannot be attained because of an situation.” Responsive mothers were mothers who provided physical inability to maintain an appropriate level of arousal. care, emotional communication, and affection to their children Indeed, the Adult Attachment Interview draws its validity from the in clear relation to their signals of need. The mother’s reciprocal or high correspondence between the attachment classification of parents contingent responses (reinforcement depending on the behavior of and their infants’ classifications in the Strange Situation8). Thus, the child) by eye contact, cuddling, touching, or praise may reinforce “secure,” “avoidant,” “ambivalent (anxious-ambivalent, resistant),” the child’s communicative attempts, such as babbling or laughing. and “disorganized” infants tend to have primary caregivers who Responsive mothers also gave their children enough “space” when are “autonomous,” “dismissing,” “preoccupied,” and “unresolved,” they were playing, crawling, or otherwise exploring their environment respectively, with respect to attachment12). Categories of attachment independently. The critical aspect of responsive caregiving is that the behaviors of infants in the strange situation and corresponding mothers are aware of their children’s needs and wants and respond to attachment categories among adults are proposed in several studies9,12) that information. The responsive caregiver “resonates” with the child's (Table 1). Jang13) observed exact agreement