Attachment in Children

People tend to form emotional bonds with people who are important to them. This requirement can be easily observed in babies from the moment of birth. The best example of attachment is when a baby stops crying when it hears its mother's voice. Attachment theory holds an important place in developmental psychology. From the moment the baby is born, he cannot meet his own needs and needs a caregiver, usually the child's mother. The baby wants to establish an emotional and positive bond with this person. This mental working model is called attachment. By staying close to this person, the baby also increases its chances of survival. Additionally, the baby gradually begins to explore the environment, using this person as a security base. Attachment theory is the social and emotional bonds formed between mother and baby since birth (Bowlby, 1980,1982; Ainsworth, 1989). These bonds have a very important place in social and emotional aspects, especially in the child's later life. Depending on the mother's behavior, certain behavioral patterns are formed in the baby's mind, and with these patterns, the baby produces self-models about himself and others. (Baker, 2003; Bretherton, 1990; Vaughn, 2006;). Therefore, the mother's relationship with the baby is very important. She must respond to the baby in time, provide him with warmth, feed him regularly, and create a security base for him.

There are certain behaviors that show attachment behavior, one of which is that the baby tries to have a relationship with the person to whom he is attached. , constantly looking for him, feeling relieved when he smells his scent or hears his voice. If the person to whom the baby is attached is not nearby, he/she feels this and reacts such as crying. Another behavior is that while the baby feels warmer and safer with the person he is attached to, he can feel uneasy with other people, which are the most basic behaviors that prove the existence of attachment.

Attachment is generally divided into four different groups:

Securely attached babies: These babies use the mother as a security base to explore the environment. They love to examine the environment and play with toys around them. When they see a stranger, they turn to the caregiver. They calm down easily when reunited with the caregiver. They interact positively with him, laughing at him and climbing on his lap. B. When they are reunited with the person giving current, they continue to explore the environment.

Insecure avoidant babies: They generally seem uninterested in the caregiver. They avoid the caregiver and have little contact with them. They react similarly to strangers and caregivers. They try to pay more attention to toys. They do not react when reunited with the caregiver.

Insecure resistant babies: These babies often cling to the mother, show resistance at the time of separation, and get angry at the caregiver at the time of reunion, cry and continue to react.

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Insecure messy babies: They are very insecure, messy and confused. Contradictions are observed in their behavior during separation. They may appear dazed and confused when separated from the mother. As soon as the mother picks them up, they look away and act unresponsive.

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