Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter 10 Social-Emotional Development in the First Year 281
other caregivers (turnover of staff in child care).
Poor attachment can cause social and emotional
problems throughout life.
Some infants have attachment problems. The
main causes of attachment problems are: loss of
the primary caregiver, inconsistent or angry care
by the primary caregiver, abuse, and changes in
Most, but not all, of the child development
theorists primarily focused their research on the
child’s development with little emphasis on family life.
For about the last 75 years, other researchers have
directly focused on the effects of early significant
social interactions of infants and children under
three years of age. Attachment studies, as they
are known, began with a focus on the mother-child
relationship, but now encompass bonding, infant
care, stranger fear, separation anxiety, and the
effects of the relationship between the baby and all
caregivers. Four major theorists have shaped current
knowledge of attachment.
John Bowlby, the father of attachment theory,
found WWII in Great Britain had ruptured many family
bonds. Specifically, Bowlby found the lack of maternal
care, distortions of maternal care (neglect and abuse),
and discontinuity in maternal care (maternal separations
and multiple mothering figures) all resulted in lifelong
mental health problems. Bowlby advocated early
intervention for the country’s youngest citizens and
worked to change government policies for families.
Mary Ainsworth, born in the U.S., served as
Bowlby’s research assistant for three years. Her life-
long, cross-cultural studies led her to develop listings
of baby indicators of attachment, such as an infant
crying when the mother leaves the room, showing
excitement when the mother returns, and staying
close to the mother if a stranger is nearby. As a
fastidious researcher, she came up with the well-
known method of testing infant attachment called
the Strange Situation. From these experiments, she
developed lists of variables for secure and insecure
attachments, which will be explained later in the text.
Attachment Theorists
Research Activity
John Kennell and Marshall Klaus had a
40-year research collaboration. Their studies led to
understandings about parent-newborn bonding. From
their studies, they called for changes in the inflexible
hospital practices that isolated babies from their
parents. Their works led to the hospital birthing room,
use of the doula during childbirth, parental holding in
the NICU, and hospital classes on baby care. They
also researched family problems (grief, depression,
marital problems) that prevented optimal bonding.
T. Berry Brazelton focused on assuring parents
about attachment. He promoted the idea of attachment
as a gradual process. His Touchpoints helped prepare
parents for the infant’s developmental changes. He
believed in a close partnership between parents and
child care providers and researched the infant’s ability
to form multiple attachments. Through his writings and
mass media appearances, he provided know-how
and encouragement to all families—single parents,
working families, adoptive parents, and parents with ill
newborns—to bond with their babies as a foundation
for children’s mental health.
In small groups, choose one of the
theorists described above. Then, using online
or print resources, find a reliable article
describing the theorist’s life and work. Read
the article individually and then discuss as a
group what facts were especially interesting
to you. Present the highlights of your dis-
cussion to the class.