Maureen Mack, Ph.D.
Curriculum & Instruction
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
& the& theCider House Cider House
RulesRules
Attachment Attachment TheoryTheory
Overview
Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment
Types of Disordered Attachment
Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma
on the Developing Brain
Treatment and Strategies
Definition of Secure Attachment
Secure attachment is an enduring affective bond characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain proximity to a specific person, particularly when under stress.
– Ainsworth and Bowlby
Characteristics of Secure Attachment
Deep, long lasting, emotional
attachment
Influences mind, body, emotions,
relationships, and values (Levy)
Positive affect on self-esteem,
independence, enduring relationships,
empathy, compassion, and resiliency
Critical Aspect of Attachment
Emotional Sensitivity—appropriate parental emotional expression and reception. EA qualities can be observed in parents of children of any age.
Secure Attachment
Instinctual urge to attach rooted in evolution
Secure Attachment = Parents + Child
Definition of Attachment Disorder
Attachment disorder is the inability to form loving, lasting intimate relationships
Characteristics of Attachment Disorder
Lack of reciprocal behavior
Rights violations
Frequent aggressive and
destructive acts
Lack of remorse
Examples of Secure-Insecure Attachment
Homer
View Movie Clip from website (9,507 kb .wmv)
Examples of Secure-Insecure Attachment
Bedtime at the
OrphanageView Movie Clip from website (4,131 kb .wmv)
Small Group Exercise 1
Overview
Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment
Types of Disordered Attachment
Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma on the Developing Brain
Treatment and Strategies
Types of Insecure Attachment
Ambivalent
Avoidant
Disorganized
Ambivalent
• Cling, withdraw in unfamiliar environment
• Separation anxiety• Rejects efforts to
comfort, sooth
Avoidant
• Pseudo independence and self-sufficiency
• Rejects or avoids comforting
• Unaffected by close,intimate contacts
• Most serious form• No consistent strategy
for comfort-seeking• Depression,
motor-freezing, anddisassociation
Disorganized
Insecure Attachment Continuum
SevereSevereMildMild
Common Causes of Disorder Attachment
Abuse
Neglect
Addiction
Multiple out of home placements
Parental death/loss
SevereSevereMildMild
Hard Being An Orphan
View Movie Clip from website (5,530 kb .wmv)
Characteristics
Behavioral Emotional
Characteristics
Thought Relational
Characteristics
Physical Moral/Spiritual
Small Group Exercise 2
Overview
Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment
Types of Disordered Attachment
Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma on the Developing Brain
Treatment and Strategies
Brain Development
AlteredNormal
Brain Development
Altered
Normal
Fetal—first 2 years—most rapid growth; quality of caretaking impacts brain
Alarm Reactions
Alter chemical wiring
Traumatized infants/children
Neurobehavioral problems
Attachment Disorder and ADHD
Bonding Breaks
Attachment Deficits
Symptoms of ADHD
Small Group Exercise 3
Homer Returns
View Movie Clip from website (19,304 kb .wmv)
Overview
Definitions of Secure/Insecure Attachment
Types of Disordered Attachment
Effects of Attachment Quality & Trauma on the Developing Brain
Treatment and Strategies
Treatment
Create attachment patternsSystemic approach to ward against triangulation
Holistic-integrative approachesRevisit, revise, revitalizeRelationship healing
Strategies for Developing
Secure AttachmentsReciprocal behaviors between child and adult Respectful eye contact, body language Respectful verbal language Calming, soothing, nurturing responses Claiming behaviors Physical proximity and touching Careful, deliberate listening Accepting limits - boundaries
Strategies for Developing
Secure AttachmentsClimate and Relational
Ease and spontaneity in words and movements
Comfort in compliments, affection, appreciation
Harmony in words and actionsPreserve harmony and dignity under stress
Strategies for Developing
Secure AttachmentsClassroom Environment/Structure
Rationality Realism Intuitiveness Creativity Admit and correct mistakes Benevolence and cooperativeness
Strategies for Developing
Secure AttachmentsSpecific Instruction and Intervention Approaches
Family Bereavement Program Character trait assessment through literature Integration of Search Institute External/Internal Asset Checklist into curriculum, lessons activities
Role model unit Share personal feelings and stories Create and maintain safe, non-judgmental instructional environment
Teacher Assistance Programs
Small Group Exercise 4
References Ainsworth, M. D. S., & Wittig, B. A. (1969). Attachment and the exploratory behavior of one year
olds in a strange situation. In B. M. Foss (Ed.), Determinants of infant behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 113-136). London: Metheun.
Gallup, G. H., Moore, D. W., & Schussel, R. (1995). Disciplining children in America: A Gallup Poll Report. Princeton, NJ: The Gallup Organization.
Irving, John. (1999). The Cider House Rules. Modern Library: ISBN: 0679603352 Lach, J. (1997). Facilitating developmental attachment: The road to emotional recover and
behavioral change in foster and adopted children. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson. Levy, Terry, M. (editor). (2000). Handbook of Attachment Interventions. San Diego: California. Lyons-Ruth, K., Alpern, L., & Repacholi, B. (1993). Disorganized infant attachment classification
and maternal psychosocial problems as predictors of hostile-aggressive behavior in the preschool classroom. Child Development, 64, 572-585.
Main, M., & Solomon, J. (1990). Procedures for identifying infants as disorganized/disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. In M. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, & E. M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years: Theory, research, and intervention (pp. 121-160). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Perry, B. D., Pollard, R., Blakely, T., Baker, W., & Vigilante, D. (1995). Childhood trauma, the neurobiology of adaptation and “use-dependent” development of the brain: How “states” become “traits”. Infant Mental Health Journal, 16(4), 271-291.
Terr, L. A. (1991). Chihood traumas: An outline and overview. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 1-20.
The Cider House Rules. (1999). Miramax Films.
Questions