Support
for Teachers for Schools for Companies
Study.com
PlansCourses Credit Degrees Schools Login Sign Up
Search Lessons & Courses
Psychology 103: Human Growth and Development / Psychology Courses Next Lesson
Infant Attachment Theory: 4 Stages of Parent-Infant Attachment
Chapter 10 / Lesson 3 Transcript
Share Feedback Rate
Video
Quiz
Course
Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today
10:07
Timeline
Create An Account
To Start This Course Today
Used by over 10 million students worldwide Create An Account
Try it free for 5 days
Lesson Transcript
Instructor: Melissa Hurst
Relationships with others play a large role in our lives. These relationships start from birth and continue to develop through adulthood. This lesson will describe the stages of parent-infant attachment, define types of attachment anxiety experienced by infants and discuss the debate over which forms stronger attachments: food or comfort.
Attachment Defined
According to psychologists, the two most important relationships are those between parents and infants and those among peers. The parent-infant attachment begins to develop at birth and continues throughout life. This lesson will detail infant attachment and anxieties.
According to psychologists Ainsworth and Bowlby, attachment is defined as a strong emotional bond that seeks to bind one person to another and is characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain a closeness - both physically and emotionally - to that specific figure of which the bond has been developed. Infants are very social. They seek comfort and show a wide range of emotions from birth. The emotions allow the infant to form emotional attachments with their caregivers. Infants progress through stages when forming these emotional attachments.
4 Stages of Parent-Infant Attachment
Today we're going to look in on how the attachment theory affects a brother and his newly born baby brother. Let's take a peek at the newborn!
Undiscriminating Social Responsiveness
Older Sibling: Mommy, why doesn't my new brother like me? He's not even looking at me!
Mother: During the first months of life (from birth to two or three months), infants are said to be in the undiscriminating social responsiveness stage of attachment. Their basic needs, such as hunger and safety, drive their responsiveness to other humans. For example, when your brother is hungry, he will respond more to me. However, in this stage, any person interests the infant. Clear preference does not exist for one human over another.
Discriminating Social Responsiveness
Older Sibling: Look mommy, he likes me now. He's smiling and holding his arms out towards me!
Mother: The second stage of infant attachment is discriminating social responsiveness. This stage, occurring between the ages of two to three months and six to seven months, is when infants begin to discriminate and show preference for one companion over another. They direct the most emotion, through smiles, laughter, and cries, toward caregivers or close companions. They are, however, still interested in and friendly toward strangers.
Active Proximity seeking
Older Sibling: Come on. Let's go play in the sandbox! Mommy, why won't he come?
Mother: Active proximity seeking, or true attachment, is the third stage of parent-infant attachment. This stage, occurring between six to seven months and three years of age, is the longest stage of attachment. During this stage, infants and young children form clear emotional bonds, most often with their mothers. They will stay within close proximity of the person in which the bond has been formed, get upset when that person is not around, and is easily comforted upon the return of that person. During this stage, the infant or child also forms multiple close relationships and attachments to the other parent, close family, siblings, and even the babysitter.
The formation of strong attachments with parents, caregivers, siblings, and close companions is important to the development of the child. These attachments facilitate exploratory behavior as the parent or caregiver becomes a secure base. A secure base is defined as a point of safety from which an infant can feel comfortable playing and exploring away from, but return to quickly if he or she becomes frightened or needs assurance.
Goal-Corrected Partnership
Older Sibling: Do you want a snack? Let's wait for mommy to make one.
Mother: The fourth and final stage in parent-infant attachment is goal-corrected partnership. This stage is from three years old and beyond. During this stage, children can take the goals of others and consider adjusting their plans according to these goals. For example, an infant may cry excessively because they are hungry and want milk immediately, but a four year old is able to wait patiently for the adult to provide the beverage. This stage lasts into adulthood.
Attachment-Related Fears
With the strong emotional attachment formed between the parent and infant also comes fear. Attachment related fears manifest in two forms: separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
Separation anxiety is the stage in which a child experiences anxiety, such as fretfulness and wariness, when separated from the primary caregiver. Separation anxiety typically appears when infants are forming attachments around eight months of age and peaks approximately 14-18 months of age. Over time, this type of anxiety becomes less frequent and intense, especially when children can feel safe in their home environment and trust that the caregiver will return. In extreme cases, separation anxiety can cause a child to refuse to go to school or other places for fear of separation.
Stranger anxiety is the reaction to a stranger that may cause a child to become quiet, wary of the person, cry, or hide. Stranger anxiety is common among children between the ages of 8-18 months. Stranger anxiety typically declines as the child approaches the age of two years old.
Reducing Stranger Anxiety
Stranger anxiety may cause extreme stress for some infants and children. Researchers have identified methods to reduce stranger anxiety. One method is to have familiar caregivers or companions available. If the child senses a familiar adult is nearby to serve as a secure base, stranger anxiety will be reduced.
Adults and caregivers should respond positively to the stranger. Infants engage in social referencing where they use another person's emotion as a guide for their own. If the familiar adult embraces the stranger with a friendly emotion, the child will likely follow suit.
The caregiver should make the setting familiar. Children will be less likely to become anxious by strangers if the interaction occurs in a familiar setting. Introducing children to new people or new babysitters in a familiar location, like the child's home, will reduce stranger anxiety.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 10 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a Member
Already a member? Log In
Course Navigator
Psychology 103: Human Growth and Development
11 chapters | 95 lessons
1 - Theoretical Approaches to Human Growth and Development
2 - Research Methods and the Study of Human Growth and...
3 - Genetic Influences on Development
4 - Biological Development
5 - Sensory and Perceptual Development
6 - Cognition and Cognitive Development
7 - Creativity and Intelligence Development
8 - Language Development
9 - Social Development
10 - Social Relationship Development
Attachment Theory: Definition & Criticism of Bowlby & Ainsworth's Theories 5:55
The Strange Situation Test: Ainsworth's Attachment Theory for Infants 9:41
Infant Attachment Theory: 4 Stages of Parent-Infant Attachment 10:15
8:46
Next Lesson
Attachment Styles: Positive/Negative, Fearful, Secure & More Attachment Styles: Positive/Negative, Fearful, Secure & More
Family System Theory: Definition and Changes Over Time 7:46
Impact of Parenting Styles on Different Styles of Learners 6:41
The Family Cycle & Adult Development: Marriage, Parenthood & the Empty Nest 6:43
The Impact of Abuse and Neglect on Child Growth & Development 5:40
Theories of Aging and Death: Programmed Theories vs. Damage Theories 5:07
What Are the Stages of Dying? - Overview of Kubler-Ross's 5 Stages 6:14
Grief and Bereavement: Patterns of Bereavement & Stages of Grief 8:52
Go to Social Relationship Development
11 - Atypical Development
Abnormal Human Development: Definition & Examples4:44
Classification and Diagnosis5:44
What Are Social Norms? Definition & Examples in Infants, Children & Adults6:58
Developmental Abnormalities in Children: Effects & Impacts on Learning5:39
Emotional & Behavioral Disorders: Autism & Asperger's Syndrome6:16
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Definition of ADHD4:16
Advanced Cognitive Development and Renzulli's Triad8:23
Mood Disorders7:44
Eating Disorders7:30
Anxiety Disorders8:13
Substance Related Disorders5:47
Developmental Abnormalities in Adults: Effects & Social Concerns5:38
Dementia and Alzheimer's: Differences & Impact on Aging5:50
Chronic Illness & Physical Disabilities: Effects on Human Development6:00
Different Types of Mental Disabilities: Definitions & Examples4:29
Go to Atypical Development
Students who watched this lesson also enjoyed:
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory of Development: Definition & Examples
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory of Development: Definition & Examples
Attachment Theory: Definition & Criticism of Bowlby & Ainsworth's Theories
Attachment Theory: Definition & Criticism of Bowlby & Ainsworth's Theories
The Strange Situation Test: Ainsworth's Attachment Theory for Infants
The Strange Situation Test: Ainsworth's Attachment Theory for Infants
Lev Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development
Lev Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development
Differences between Piaget & Vygotsky's Cognitive Development Theories