Sensitive Mothering Sources for your Essay

Sensitive Mothering From the Nursery and Beyond


But the mother who plays gentle games, or holds and rocks, and who generally gets the baby into a nap-accepting mood will be considered cooperative. (Ainsworth, 1969)

Sensitive Mothering From the Nursery and Beyond


Parenting young children requires that parents sometimes interfere for safety reasons: Young children will persist in walking in front of cars, putting fingers into hot food, and pulling the tails of cats. To the extent possible, both Erikson and Ainsworth argue that children's independence must be encouraged (Erikson, 1956, pp

Sensitive Mothering From the Nursery and Beyond


Bowlby translated this idea into human terms, arguing that survival for humans (social creatures that we are) is based in attachment between parent and offspring. Harlow's work with monkeys deprived of love and physical affection (Harlow & Zimmerman, 1959) also influenced Bowlby because his work so clearly demonstrated that attachment between a primate caregiver and child was essential for "normal" development

Sensitive Mothering From the Nursery and Beyond


Lorenz created models of attachment by examining the behavior of other species, especially birds. Lorenz and his colleagues argued that attachment -- when a young individual becomes bonded with a parent or other related adult -- is an essential adaptation needed for survival (Lorenz, 1952, pp

Sensitive Mothering From the Nursery and Beyond


Mary Ainsworth, a colleague of Bowlby's built upon his model to create a similar one, or rather one that she elaborated from Bowlby's. She added the feature that a well-attached child will react with less fear to strangers than does an insecurely attached child since the securely attached child knows that there is a mother/caregiver upon whom the child can count on to protect the child from any danger (Van der Horst, 2011, p

Sensitive Mothering: A Theoretical Overview Although the


He was the first to apply Freudian theories to biological research regarding infant development. "Bowlby proposed that 1-2-month-olds' unmistakable attachment behavior is made up of a number of component instinctual responses that have the function of binding the infant to the mother and the mother to the infant" (Bretherton 1992)

Sensitive Mothering: A Theoretical Overview Although the


nurture controversy rages on, regarding the degree to which nurturing can influence childhood development, research does suggest that a particular parenting style is preferred: so-called 'sensitive mothering.' Sensitive mothering is defined as being "highly responsive and available" to a child's needs (Spinrad & Sifter 2011)