3.1.3 Stages of Attachement Identified by Schaffer

Stages of attachment- Schaffer & Emerson

• The revision note on caregiver-infant interactions earlier in this section featured the study by Schaffer & Emerson (1966)
• The findings from this study led the researchers to propose Stages of Attachment that each child goes through:
  • Asocial (0-6 weeks)
    • • Infants respond to people and objects in the same way e.g. a baby will not really be able to distinguish the difference between 'grandma' and a soft toy (though they will prefer being with grandma as she is human) 
      • Babies in this stage can cry for attention and by 6 weeks old they are starting to smile but they may well smile at a range of people, not just the primary caregiver
      • Babies do, however, show a preference for looking at images of faces and eyes (Fantz 1961)

• • Indiscriminate Attachment (6 weeks-6 months)
    • • Babies in this stage enjoy the company of a range of people (hence the term 'indiscriminate'), though from the age of 3 months they prefer more familiar people
      • Babies are happy to be cuddled by a stranger (they have not developed stranger anxiety at this stage) though, again, a familiar person is preferred as the giver of cuddles
      • Babies may become upset if an adult stops interacting with them but they are yet to develop separation anxiety
      • Research shows that they smile more at actual people than at lifelike objects such as puppets (Ellsworth et al. 1993)

• • Specific Attachment (7 months +)
    • • The baby now has a strong attachment to their primary caregiver (this could be a parent or whoever provides the best quality of care i.e. nurturing, loving, playing with the baby, being responsive to the baby's needs)
      • All the signs of attachment are present: separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, proximity-seeking behaviour (wanting to be with the preferred adult) and clinginess

• • Multiple Attachment (10 months onwards)
    • • Babies now have a range of secondary attachment figures with whom they have formed a bond grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, nursery worker etc.
      • Secondary attachments are those which develop after the primary attachment figure has been established
      • By the time a child is 12-18 months old they will have developed multiple attachments

Evaluation of Schaffer & Emerson's stages of attachment

Strengths

• The stages follow a logical pattern and reflect most children's experience of attachment hence the theory has external validity
• The stages of attachment have good application: they could be used to identify developmental delay or infant-caregiver bonding issues by healthcare professionals

Weaknesses

• Not all children will fit neatly into the stages: some children may bond quickly with a range of people while others may be slower so the theory lacks some reliability
• It is notoriously difficult to measure and track infant behaviour: many aspects of attachment remain a mystery i.e. a baby cannot explain how they are feeling or give reasons for their actions