Lecture Notes on Attachment Styles and The Strange Situation

Overview

• Variations in children's interactions with their environment and mothers.
• Focus on Mary Ainsworth's work to categorize early attachment styles.
• Exploration of "The Strange Situation" technique to assess attachment.
• Discussion on cultural variations in attachment styles.

Mary Ainsworth's Types of Attachment

• Ainsworth expanded on Bowlby's work, focusing on infant-caregiver attachment.
• Key Behaviors Indicating Attachment:
  • Using the mother as a secure base for exploration.
  • Stranger anxiety.
  • Distress upon mother's separation and reaction upon reunion.
  • Mother's responsiveness to infant's needs.

Attachment Styles

1. Insecure-Avoidant (Type A)

   • Infants show detachment, minimal stranger anxiety, indifferent to mother's comings and goings.
   • Linked to less responsive caregivers.

2. Secure (Type B)

   • Infants explore confidently, show moderate stranger anxiety, easily comforted on reunion.
   • Associated with sensitive, consistent caregiving.

3. Insecure-Resistant (Type C)

   • Infants are clingy, high stranger anxiety, distressed by separation, ambivalent on reunion.
   • Related to inconsistent caregiving.

The Strange Situation

• A controlled observational technique to assess attachment.
• Involves stages where infant's behavior is observed with and without mother.
• Stages Include:
  • Initial exploration with mother.
  • Introduction of a stranger.
  • Mother's departure and return.
  • Observing reactions to these changes.

Findings

• Secure attachment (Type B) was most common across samples.
• Insecure-Avoidant (Type A) made up 22% of insecure attachments.
• Insecure-Resistant (Type C) accounted for 12% of sample, showing stress and complex emotions.

Cultural Variations

• Research by van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg across 8 countries.
• Secure attachment most prevalent globally.
• Individualistic cultures had more avoidant attachments; collectivist had more resistant attachments.
• Notable differences within countries often larger than between countries.

Cultural Findings

• Germany: High avoidant attachment.
• Japan & Israel: High resistant attachment.
• China: Lowest secure attachment rate.

Evaluation

• Strengths: Standardization and predictability of outcomes; replicable.
• Criticisms:
  • Cultural bias: developed in America, potentially misapplied globally.
  • Environmental influence: unnatural setting could affect behavior.
  • Biological temperament vs. attachment style debate (Kagan).
• Recent Trends: Changes in attachment styles over time, e.g., Italian study showing rise in avoidant style due to modern family dynamics.

Conclusion

• Secure attachment universally preferred, potentially biologically driven.
• Cultural practices influence attachment behaviors.
• Results highlight the necessity to consider within-country variations and acknowledge cultural context when assessing attachment styles.

Additional Resources

• Mention of Psych Boost's flashcard app and Patreon benefits for additional study materials.