Why does attachment occur

Three of the four studies documented a minor role for genetic influences on differences in attachment security and a rather substantial role for shared environment. Individual differences in infant attachment relationships are mainly caused by nurture rather than nature, although the bias in each human being to become attached is universal and inborn.

Later in the development of attachment genetic differences might become more important, as Fearon and his team showed in a large sample of adolescent twins. Is sensitive parenting the core ingredient of the shared environment? In general, attachment insecurity appeared more difficult to change than maternal insensitivity.

When interventions were more effective in enhancing parental sensitivity, they were also more effective in enhancing attachment security, which experimentally supports the notion of a causal role of sensitivity in shaping attachment. For more than 25 years the hypothesis of intergenerational transmission of attachment has been investigated, with a special emphasis on the so-called transmission gap.

Although substantial evidence has been found to support this mediational model it still leaves room for complementary mechanisms besides sensitivity because a persistent transmission gap remains visible.

Attachment, the affective bond of infant to parent, plays a pivotal role in the regulation of stress in times of distress, anxiety or illness. Human beings are born with the innate bias to become attached to a protective caregiver.

But infants develop different kinds of attachment relationships: some infants become securely attached to their parent, and others find themselves in an insecure attachment relationship.

These individual differences are not genetically determined but are rooted in interactions with the social environment during the first few years of life. Sensitive or insensitive parenting plays a key role in the emergence of secure or insecure attachments, as has been documented in twin studies and experimental intervention studies. In the case of attachment theory, the nurture assumption8 is indeed warranted. Numerous findings confirm the core hypothesis that sensitive parenting causes infant attachment security, although other causes should not be ruled out, and the puzzling transmission gap may require complementary mechanisms besides parental sensitivity, e.

Parents are therefore entitled to receive social support from policy-makers and mental-health workers to do the best job they can in raising their vulnerable children. Sensitive parenting is hard work and does not come naturally to many parents, who have to find their way even if they had quite some positive childhood experiences of their own. It takes a village to raise a child, 19 so parents need to rely on good-quality non-parental care in a larger caregiving network to combine childrearing with other obligations.

From randomized experiments, we may conclude that effective interventions for enhancing sensitive parenting and infant attachment security are now becoming available that use a moderate number of sessions and a clear-cut interactive focus, starting some six months after birth.

From an applied attachment perspective, young parents should be given access to preventive support programs that incorporate these evidence-based insights. Updated: September Introduction What is attachment? Development of attachment Attachment is suggested to develop in four phases. Attachment is essential to long-term emotional health. Healthy attachment will help your child handle situations as they grow older, such as separating from you starting child care or school , cooperating with other children, and developing self-control.

Babies can develop secure attachment with more than one important adult in their lives, including a child care provider. Remember that in the first 3 months, all babies go through a period when they cry more than at any other time.

Keep responding to your baby in a warm and sensitive way. Just be sure your baby is safe in their crib, or with another caring adult. Sometimes there other problems that make it hard for parents to care for their baby. Being separated for long periods of time can also cause stress. Sometimes babies have issues that make attachment difficult. Nonverbal communication that you can use to help build a secure attachment bond include:.

Attachments between an infant and a primary caregiver begin developing at birth through one-to-one interactions. These early interactions affect the brain, establishing patterns for how a child will develop relationships as they mature. The brains of infants who form secure attachments have a greater foundation or ability to form healthy relationships. Children whose first attachments are insecure or negative may have difficulty forming healthy relationships.

You can develop a secure attachment with your baby through nonverbal emotional interactions such as reassuring touches, attentive eye contact, and a warm, affectionate tone of voice. Peaceful parenting is a parenting philosophy that may lead to a more harmonious home. Here, a primer on what it is and how to implement it. Whether or not parental alienation syndrome is a recognized mental health condition, it's certainly a real thing.

We'll tell you what it is and what…. Experts say there a number of ways to reduce children's screen time as the COVID pandemic subsides. They suggest outside activities and timers. Smile back when you smile. Between three and six months, your baby should… Show joy when interacting with you. Smile a lot during playtime.

Between four and 10 months, your baby should… Use facial expressions and sounds when interacting, like smiling, giggling, or babbling. Have playful exchanges with you. Alternate back and forth with gestures giving and taking , sounds, and smiles. Between 10 and 18 months, your baby… Play games with you, like peek-a-boo or patty cake.

Use sounds like ma, ba, na, da, and ga. Use different gestures sometimes one after another to show needs like giving, pointing, or waving.

Recognize his or her name when called. Between 18 and 20 months, your baby should… Know and understand at least 10 words. Use at least four consonants in words or babbling, like b, d, m, n, p, t. Use words, gestures and signals to communicate needs, like pointing at something. Enjoy simple pretend play, like hugging or feeding a doll or stuffed animal. Demonstrate familiarity with people or body parts by pointing or looking at them when named.

At 24 Months, your baby should… Know and understand at least 50 words. Show interest in playing with other children by giving objects or toys to others. Respond to questions about familiar people or objects not present by looking for them. Enjoy playing with children and talking with other children. Talk about feelings, emotions and interests, and show knowledge about time past and future. Pretend to play different characters—either by dressing up and acting or with toy figures or dolls.

Obstacles to creating a secure attachment bond Obstacles to creating a secure attachment may first appear when your child is an infant. When a baby experiences difficulty in the womb or in the birth process—during a cesarean birth, for example—their nervous system may be compromised. Adopted babies or those who spend time in hospital neonatal units away from a parent may have early life experiences that leave them feeling stressed, confused, and unsafe.

Infants who never seem to stop crying—whose eyes are always tightly closed, fists clenched, and bodies rigid—may have difficulty experiencing the soothing cues of even a highly attuned caretaker. A child gets attention only by acting out or displaying other extreme behaviors. The child never knows what to expect. A child is hospitalized or separated from his or her parents.

A child is moved from one caregiver to another can be the result of adoption, foster care, or the loss of a parent. A child is mistreated or abused.