Discuss research associated with the development of secure and Essay

Discuss research associated with the development of secure and insecure attachments in children - Essay Example Infants instinctively reach out to a caregiver for security and protection; caregivers instinctively protect and nurture infants. This mutual responsiveness is what creates the secure base for early development† (The Project, 2006). Inefficiency to tackle problems in its initial stages leads to society paying a high price for it. Collectively the cost is reflected in social disruption, poor educational attainment, physical and mental ill health, anti-social behaviour, and the financial cost related to each of these† (Vision, 2005). In 2004 the Department of Health placed greater emphasis on prevention of illness, The NSF for Mental Health (1999) recommended promotion of mental health and wellbeing NSF (2003) Attachment theory is a child - development theory that helps in the understanding of child-parent relationship from an early age. According to this theory relationship between children and their parents, lays the foundation for the child’s future relationship that can be either social or emotional. It also has a bearing on the way the child functions at school. The lasting emotional ties created between infants and their parents are called attachment. Children of abusive parents too, develop attachment towards their parents. Attachment usually grows through repeated interactions that take place in the first year of the life of an infant with their parents. An infant can develop multiple attachments with the father, mother or grandparents, but they have generally one parent who is their â€Å"primary attachment figure†. The two basic attachment patterns are –secure and insecure. Researchers have found that responsive and sensitive parenting, results in secure attachments where the child uses his or her parent as a source of comfort. Dependence on the parent leads to independence, which is the key principle of attachment theory. Parents of secure children are sensitive and responsive. The