Mary Ainsworth Internal Working Model
Attachment
These categories of relationship were developed by Mary Ainsworth. After weeks of spending time with these mom-baby pairs in their home environment and carefully documenting many aspects of their communication, she would then bring these one year-old infants and their mothers into a little play room with a one-way mirror for observation. The mom and the baby would be given a period of time to get used to the new space and then another person would enter the room and interact with both mom and baby in a friendly way. After a brief period with the stranger in the room, mom would then get up and leave the child with the stranger. A short while later the mom would return to the room and reunite with the infant. All the while the observers …show more content…
Avoidant attachment
The infants did not use the mom much as a secure base from which to explore. When the mother began to leave the room, the infant might move toward her, but often did not. When the mother returned, the infant acted like she was not even there and just continued playing.
In the home, these parents were seen to be emotionally unavailable, imperceptive, unresponsive, and rejecting. Some were responsive in many non-emotional interactions, but were very dismissive and non-responsive when the infant was emotionally needy, frustrated, or angry. These infants often expressed random aggression, and were more clingy and demanding in the home then securely attached infants.
The internal working model is likely, “mom does not respond to my emotions, especially when I am needy or angry, so I will shut down my needs and try to become independent.” The infants then protect themselves from this difficult situation by dissociating from contact with their normal need for connection, and repress their emotions more generally. This is a “deactivating” strategy with respect to
These categories of relationship were developed by Mary Ainsworth. After weeks of spending time with these mom-baby pairs in their home environment and carefully documenting many aspects of their communication, she would then bring these one year-old infants and their mothers into a little play room with a one-way mirror for observation. The mom and the baby would be given a period of time to get used to the new space and then another person would enter the room and interact with both mom and baby in a friendly way. After a brief period with the stranger in the room, mom would then get up and leave the child with the stranger. A short while later the mom would return to the room and reunite with the infant. All the while the observers …show more content…
Avoidant attachment
The infants did not use the mom much as a secure base from which to explore. When the mother began to leave the room, the infant might move toward her, but often did not. When the mother returned, the infant acted like she was not even there and just continued playing.
In the home, these parents were seen to be emotionally unavailable, imperceptive, unresponsive, and rejecting. Some were responsive in many non-emotional interactions, but were very dismissive and non-responsive when the infant was emotionally needy, frustrated, or angry. These infants often expressed random aggression, and were more clingy and demanding in the home then securely attached infants.
The internal working model is likely, “mom does not respond to my emotions, especially when I am needy or angry, so I will shut down my needs and try to become independent.” The infants then protect themselves from this difficult situation by dissociating from contact with their normal need for connection, and repress their emotions more generally. This is a “deactivating” strategy with respect to