Leticia Gudino
SOCW 3339
Feb. 17, 2015
Theoretical Blog
During infancy babies communicate by crying, cooing, and
smiling. When a baby is upset their reaction will be to cry. If a 5 month old
is sleeping in his crib and begins to cry the mother’s reaction can have an effect
on the child’s development according to Erik Erikson’s stages of development. The first stage is Infancy which is classified
as ages 0 to 18 months old. The challenge in this stage is trust vs
mistrust. In this stage children develop
the sense of trust in people they love. If the infant wakes up and starts to
cry and his mother does not respond this can lead to the development of
mistrust causing the child to unsuccessfully complete this stage. In the other
hand, if the mother responds immediately to the infant giving him love and
cuddling him, it will lead him to develop trust and the babies needs will be fulfilled.
If parents fail to provide a secure environment, children will develop mistrust
can grow up to not trust people, suffer from relationship problems and it can
affect the rest of their life. (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2010, p.172). Some people
believe that by responding to every infants cry by holding them and giving them
love can lead to attachment issues. According to John Bowlby’s evolutionary
theory of attachment, a baby forms a close intimate relationship with a
caregiver to ensure its survival. (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013, p.266). He believed that if a child had security and
trust the child’s emotional stability would be set for life. Children who later
in life act up may be a result of not having that attachment during infancy. I believe
both Erikson and Bowlby’s theories give a similar result. In Erikson’s theory an
infant is forming his identity were as Bowlby’s theory both the child’s and the
caregiver’s identity are being defined.
Ashford, J.B., Lecroy, C.W. (2013). Human Behavior in the
Social Environment: A Multidimensional Perspective.
Kail, R.V., Cavanaugh, J.C. (2010). Human Development a
Life-Span View.
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