Attachment Theory

The Attachment Theory was developed by John Bowlby in 1969 and provided a way to understand the nature of mother/infant relationship (Colmer, Rutherford, & Murphy, 2011). Attachment within children provides a sense of security between the child, caregiver, and the environment they are in. Families should understand the importance of attachment and how it affects a child’s development. A secure and consistent relationship through a secure base develops a child’s sense of connection and belonging (Colmer, Rutherford, & Murphy, 2011).   When children are rejected from caregivers it causes them to have trust issues and they lose that sense of security.  Attachment theorists suggest that attachment security with parents supports the quality of social adaptation in peer groups during early childhood, and numerous studies supporting this conjecture have been published (Veríssimo, Santos, Fernandes, & Vaughn, 2014).  The goal of informing parents about attachment from an Early Childhood Administrator standpoint is to let them know how children develop and engage in the classroom setting from this aspect.

References

Colmer, K., Rutherford, L., & Murphy, P. (2011). Attachment Theory and Primary Caregiving. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 36(4), 16-20.

Veríssimo, M., Santos, A. J., Fernandes, C., & Vaughn, B. E. (2014). Associations between Attachment Security and Social Competence in Preschool Children. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal Of Developmental Psychology, 60(1), 80-99.