Page 114 - Čotar Konrad Sonja, Borota Bogdana, Rutar Sonja, Drljić Karmen, Jelovčan Giuliana. Ur. 2022. Vzgoja in izobraževanje predšolskih otrok prvega starostnega obdobja. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem
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ra Dolenc
protection and comfort (Bowlby 1991; Cugmas 2003). The key element within
the attachment theory is the concept of the secure base that refers to the
provision of a reliable and safe base by caregiver from which the infant can
venture out and explore into the environment and to which the child can
return in case of perceived threat (Bowlby 2005).
Attachment develops gradually; this process includes several stages that
depend on children’s experiences in the interaction with their caregiver and
on their overall development and maturation (Marjanovič Umek and Zu-
pančič 2009). Drewery and Bird (2004 in Du Plessis 2009) argue that attach-
ment relationships are particularly relevant in the earliest years of life when
infants are not yet able to care for themselves and, therefore, need a reliable
caregiver to provide care. Attachment can be understood as a complex bidi-
rectional relationship influenced by individual characteristics of both mem-
bers of the dyad. According to Sierra (2012) these include characteristics of
parents (e. g., their health status, psychological state, possible problems with
addiction, stress or background of insecure attachment), children’s charac-
teristics (e. g. health problems, premature birth, temperament) and charac-
teristics of the context (e. g. extreme deprivation, violent environment).
Bowlby’s attachment theory underlines the importance of child’s attach-
ment to the mother which, according to experts, represents the primary ob-
ject of attachment, in the sense of her sensibility to offer support and com-
fort to an infant (Cugmas 2009). The history of mother-child interactions is
the foundation for shaping an attachment pattern which further influences
various aspects of development (Cortazar and Herreros 2010).
Quality of Attachment
Mary Ainsworth provided empirical support for Bowlby’s theory by using the
Strange Situation procedure as an analytical tool to assess attachment style
and the quality of early attachments. This procedure assumes short separa-
tions and reunions between the child and the parent. Different attachment
patterns are a result of repetitive experiences of caregiving and can be di-
vided in two basic categories: secure and insecure (Mooney 2010).
The quality of attachment is established according to the following princi-
ples: attachment behaviors and relationships between two people are con-
tinuously growing; mother-child interactions influence the psychological ca-
pacities of both; the emotional bond between a mother and a child is shaped
by a specific social context (Sierra 2012).
In the optimal situation, infants experience care by mothers which are
mostly reliable, sensitive and attuned to their needs and temperament char-
114
protection and comfort (Bowlby 1991; Cugmas 2003). The key element within
the attachment theory is the concept of the secure base that refers to the
provision of a reliable and safe base by caregiver from which the infant can
venture out and explore into the environment and to which the child can
return in case of perceived threat (Bowlby 2005).
Attachment develops gradually; this process includes several stages that
depend on children’s experiences in the interaction with their caregiver and
on their overall development and maturation (Marjanovič Umek and Zu-
pančič 2009). Drewery and Bird (2004 in Du Plessis 2009) argue that attach-
ment relationships are particularly relevant in the earliest years of life when
infants are not yet able to care for themselves and, therefore, need a reliable
caregiver to provide care. Attachment can be understood as a complex bidi-
rectional relationship influenced by individual characteristics of both mem-
bers of the dyad. According to Sierra (2012) these include characteristics of
parents (e. g., their health status, psychological state, possible problems with
addiction, stress or background of insecure attachment), children’s charac-
teristics (e. g. health problems, premature birth, temperament) and charac-
teristics of the context (e. g. extreme deprivation, violent environment).
Bowlby’s attachment theory underlines the importance of child’s attach-
ment to the mother which, according to experts, represents the primary ob-
ject of attachment, in the sense of her sensibility to offer support and com-
fort to an infant (Cugmas 2009). The history of mother-child interactions is
the foundation for shaping an attachment pattern which further influences
various aspects of development (Cortazar and Herreros 2010).
Quality of Attachment
Mary Ainsworth provided empirical support for Bowlby’s theory by using the
Strange Situation procedure as an analytical tool to assess attachment style
and the quality of early attachments. This procedure assumes short separa-
tions and reunions between the child and the parent. Different attachment
patterns are a result of repetitive experiences of caregiving and can be di-
vided in two basic categories: secure and insecure (Mooney 2010).
The quality of attachment is established according to the following princi-
ples: attachment behaviors and relationships between two people are con-
tinuously growing; mother-child interactions influence the psychological ca-
pacities of both; the emotional bond between a mother and a child is shaped
by a specific social context (Sierra 2012).
In the optimal situation, infants experience care by mothers which are
mostly reliable, sensitive and attuned to their needs and temperament char-
114
