Factors Affecting Attachment Security - Essay Example

Children who have developed a strong bond with their parents are in a better position to survive the wrath of the environment in which they reside better than those that have little of the same. Since the parent has mastered well the art of survival within a given environment, the child will, therefore, look up to them for all sorts of comfort but, as the child grows older and gets exposed to a different environment, he tends to develop some other characteristics which may be contrary to what the parent has (Blanchard & Main, 1979, pp.445-446). Several factors have been put forward to explain this concept have been suggested and some of them have been given in this essay.

Some factors affecting attachment security include: Quality of the Marital Relationship-Parents who have a weak attachment among themselves will definitely have their children suffering from what can be dubbed “attachment insecurity”. The children will be distressed and lack anyone to go to for comfort and guidance. Marital conflicts present an external ecological problem and to some extent an internal ecological problem due to their role in lowering the development of low self-esteem (McElwain & Volling, 2004, pp.650.).

Stability- During the early age of a child, the attachment to the parent is quite strong, but upon a notable change, for instance, the birth of a sibling, change of the parent's employment to a lower level, or change of marital status, it does weaken. Such factors present an external environmental interference to attachment security. This finding from (McElwain & Volling, 2004, pp.665) shows that the state of the attachment security can only remain unaltered as long as it is stable. Bidirectional influences, come into play when the parent figure has ignored his/her role in bringing up the child.

In this case, the child will tend to draw lessons from what the environment provides i.e from friends, peers, and other older people with whom he gets into contact. Parents, especially mothers under stress or those experiencing maternal depression will also have their children experiencing attachment insecurity. ( Meins, 1997, pp. 67-69). Such children will be withdrawn in life and be less socially active.