Attachment, Temperament, and The Wider Social World

Changes in the caregiving relationship over time may affect the stability of attachment
patterns.
Attachment, Temperament, and the Wider Social World.

Early attachment relationships and subsequent experiences with the caregiver are
linked with later behavior and adjustment.
Some critics argue that attachment theorists have not given adequate attention to
genetics and temperament.
Other critics stress that they have not adequately considered the diversity social agents
and contexts.
Cultural variations in attachment have been found, but in all cultures studied to date,
secure attachment is the most common classification.
Siblings and Divorce
No two divorces are the same, the one thing they have in common is that they are
extremely difficult for the children involved.
- Parents are seen as the executive function of the family (the management).
- Once eliminated, the entire enterprise is shaken.
- Journal of Divorce and Remarriage

- 80% of children become preoccupied with divorce often to the exclusion of other
things.
- 53% try to cope with denial.
- 42% suffer significant concern about the custodial parent.
- 25% blame themselves.
- In times of marital conflict parents are even more distracted
- Less time for caregiving
- Extremely difficult to suppress feelings of anger and resentment toward spouse in
order to show compassion and care toward children.
- Children often feel brunt of anger as well.
The Blended Family

- 15% of all kids in the U.S. 18 and under live in blended families.
- A childless spouse entering a family is difficult, more difficult is when both new
spouses enter the new marriage bringing children of their own.
- Evolutionarily, all living creatures strongly prefer kin to non-kin as a powerful
survival tool.
- As time passes and the family coexists for a longer period of time, this preference
subsides.
- Birth Order characteristics are also tossed aside and molded into new ones.
- A second-born may suddenly be demoted to third or fourth-born.
- Oldest “Golden Child” may now be middle.
- Territoriality is a powerful aspect of blended families as well.
- There is a natural power disparity when one family moves into another’s home.
- Original members feel intruded upon.
- American Psychological Association states it’s better for a blended family to find
a new residence altogether.
- All members will have a common emotional claim.
Siblings, Sex, and Gender

- The more one empathizes with opposite genders in the house, the more you will
in the real world.
- E.g. College women say they can tell if a college aged boy grew up with a sister.
- The opposite correlation is true for College boys.
Kimberly Updegraff, University of Arizona, 2000
- Girls growing up with boys showed higher assertiveness and a tendency to exert
control over their friends and playgroups.
- For boys growing up with girls, results were different: hang out with hyper-male
friends.
William Ickes, University of Texas, 2005
- Males who have older sisters talked more openly with females, and tended to ask
more questions.
- In studies, those males were rewarded with more gazes and higher likeability
scores from females.
Singles
- 17% of families have only 1 child.
- History has not had a favourable view of singletons. In 1978, 78% of Americans
believed that they were disadvantaged.
- Times have changed in our opinions of singletons.
- In modern studies, singletons show themselves capable of filling the void left by
no siblings.
- Singletons receive parental attention that multiple siblings will never experience.
- More treats and privilege.
- Educational and extracurricular privileges.
- Studies show singletons are healthier than multiple siblings.
- More pressure as parents feel the necessity for their only child to succeed.
Falbo,1986
- Show a greater intelligence.
- Surpass all multiple siblings in character and quality of parent relationships.
Doubles
- Twins may be the steadiest and most grounded of elements, conceived in
tandem, bonded in the womb, they share the world before they are even a part
of it.
- From a geneticist’s perspective, fraternal twins are not special.
- Identical twins are stamped out from identical templates with identical strengths
and weaknesses.
Tony Vernon, University of Western
- This relationship surpasses all other relationships either twin form.
- 99% of twins surveyed state that their identical twin is their best friend.
- Identical twins also live longer on average (82 years opposed to 80.5).
- Identical twins have matching ECG’s, and their brains operate in similar ways.
Bad Influences
- Siblings play a role in both influencing and preventing bad behavior.
Patricia East, University of California
- Girls with an older sister who had a baby as a teenager were 480% more likely to
do the same.
- If both the mother and sister did --- 510%
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
- 40% of people whose older siblings smoke were smokers as well.
- They also start at a younger age.
- Sisters are more likely to influence younger girl siblings to smoke. Drugs and
alcohol follow the same pattern.
- In terms of criminality, brothers are more likely to influence younger boy siblings.

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Changes in the caregiving relationship over time may affect the stability of attachment

Attachment, Temperament, and the Wider Social World.

- Journal of Divorce and Remarriage

The Blended Family

Siblings, Sex, and Gender

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