Social-Emotional Development

This is the time when kids start to understand who they are, what they feel, and start making real connections with people they're surrounded with. This contributes to their confidence and empathy and is important that it flourishes at a young age as it acts as their foundation.

Children with well developed social-emotional skills find it easier to express their ideas and feelings, display empathy when it comes to other people, manage what they feel appropriately whether they're angry or sad, and find it easier to connect and build lasting relationships with others.

An attachment bond is the emotional tie between the infant and their primary caregiver, we also found out babies that were in critical condition had a higher rate of survival when they were touched and held. We also have Konrad Lorenz who theorized that if attachment was important in human survival, it must also be the same in other species.

Certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life where we can see them imprinting on anything that moves. Meanwhile Humans seem to have a longer, sensitive period during which attachments form. Harry Harlow conducted a study focused on how valuable contact comfort (physical closeness with a caregiver) is. They observed this with Rhesus Monkey and found that comfort was more important than needs. Following that, Mary Ainsworth also found that attachment happens through a complex set of interactions between mothers and their infants.

Positive experiences in their early life should not be taken lightly, as it has a heavy impact and influences how the brain develops. This is where attachments come in. John Bowlby introduced, and is the Father of the Attachment Theory, this suggests that infants are biologically predisposed to form attachments with primary caregivers in their first years and devised four attachment styles by observing the child's behavior under a certain situation and relating it to the mother's characteristics.

1. Secure Attachment

   - When the primary caregiver left, the baby refused comfort from anyone else and ignored the toys in the room. Moments after, the caregiver returns, the baby then makes an effort to make physical contact and returns to playing with the toys.

   - Babies with a secure attachment style tend to have a reponsive and sensitive mother that pays eager attention and responds appropriately.

2. Avoidant (Insecure) Attachment

   - Here when the baby was left alone they remained indifferent and didn't cry. When the caregiver returned they still remained unmoved and may seek contact but shortly pulls away.

   - Their mothers are usually unresponsive, insensitive, and only attended to their child's needs when they felt like it.

3. Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment

   - After being left alone, the babies immediately became distressed but was ambivalent when their care giver returned and showed obvious dissatisfaction towards them. - They usually have mother who were just engaged on her own nerves and only gave attention to their child once her needs were met.

4. Disorganized Attachment

   - The babies became agitated and started hitting, rocking, and crying. When the caregiver returned the babies acted strange and seemed unsure how to attach.

   - Sadly these children had mothers who suffered or was suffering from some type of traumatic event or depression.

Now, What exactly influences attachment styles? Well temperament does. This is the characteristics and aspects of their personality and a certain attachment style may be the result of it. We have easy, where usually they are cheerful, relaxed, and had predictable sleeping and feeding schedules. Then difficult, where they are irritable, intense, and unpredictable.