Читать книгу Lifespan Development - Tara L. Kuther - Страница 324

Bowlby proposed that attachment formation progresses through several developmental phases during infancy, from innate behaviors that bring the caregiver into contact to a mutual attachment relationship. With each phase, infants’ behavior becomes increasingly organized, adaptable, and intentional.

 Phase 1: Preattachment—Indiscriminate Social Responsiveness (Birth to 2 Months): Infants instinctively elicit caregiving responses from caregivers by crying, smiling, and making eye contact with adults. Infants respond to any caregiver who reacts to their signals, whether parent, grandparent, child care provider, or sibling.

 Phase 2: Early Attachments—Discriminating Sociability (2 Through 6–7 Months): When caregivers are sensitive and consistent in responding to babies’ signals, babies learn to associate their caregivers with the relief of distress, forming the basis for an initial bond. Babies begin to discriminate among adults and prefer familiar people. They direct their responses toward a particular adult or adults who are best able to soothe them.

 Phase 3: Attachments (7–24 Months): Infants develop attachments to specific caregivers who attend, accurately interpret, and consistently respond to their signals. Infants can gain proximity to caregivers through their own motor efforts, such as crawling.

 Phase 4: Reciprocal Relationships (24–30 Months and Onward): With advances in cognitive and language development, children can engage in interactions with their primary caregiver as partners, taking turns and initiating interactions within the attachment relationship. They begin to understand others’ emotions and goals and apply this understanding through strategies such as social referencing.