For the third of us with
insecure attachment histories that may persist throughout the lifespan, we may find it challenging to live fully in the present.
Regrettably trainee teachers are not currently taught about the impact of
insecure attachment histories on children's learning, social skills and emotional development and Adoption UK is enthusiastically taking the opportunity to help plug this gap.
As adopters we understand that
an insecure attachment history is where children's experiences in their birth families mean they are unable to develop secure attachments with their prime carers for various reasons such as the carers» own insecure attachment styles or mental or physical health difficulties, drug or alcohol abuse; loss; trauma; neglect; abuse; maternal deprivation; separations; domestic abuse etc..
The theory contains a rich set of ideas about the impact of
an insecure attachment history, and implies that the impact would be hard to counteract.
Not exact matches
Their present problems reflect a predictable pattern of inconsistent and ambivalent relationships in their early
history with which they still experience an enmeshed
insecure attachment.
Caused by a
history of unresponsive and insensitive caregiving environment, an
insecure attachment can lead children to develop poor emotion regulation skills and a negative sense of self, both associated with internalizing problems.
Insecure attachment styles are associated with emotional distress and interpersonal issues which are brought about by their
histories of neglect and abuses during infancy.
School adjustment and early reading skill are both related to
attachment at approximately one year of age.27 Peer relations, as well as relations with teachers, in the early school years are better for children with a
history of secure
attachment than for those with an
insecure history.28
Children with a
history of secure
attachment develop more superior sensorimotor skills than those with a
history of
insecure attachment.
Congruent with previous research (Caldwell & Shaver, 2012) and adult
attachment theory more generally, these findings indicate that people scoring high in
attachment - related avoidance have developed a tendency to deactivate their
attachment system in response to a
history of
insecure relationships, partly through habitual suppression of unwanted thoughts.
Over time, the individuals with a
history of
insecure attachment models become adolescents and adults who are less successful in romantic, family and other relationships than their peers with secure models.