Please read the Case Study below and answer one of the following questions in 1- 2 type-written pages (double-spaced, 12 font) in a word document. Please make sure to support your position by incorporating important ideas that you have learned about attachment theory and by providing specific examples, either in the story and/or in real life. Submit your paper through the safe assign link found below.
1. Does the boy in the story show signs of secure or insecure attachment and please explain why.
2. John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth conducted extensive research in the area of attachment, and proposed that approximately 60% of the infants they studied showed signs of secure attachment, and 40% of the infants showed signs of insecure attachment. Do you believe these findings hold true today? What evidence or observations do you base your opinion on?
3. As supported by the research of Allan Schore (2003), many children do not have secure relationships with their parents, and this can lead to problems in emotional functioning, particularly difficulty regulating oneâs emotions. Please discuss this issue and provide some examples.
Case Study: âSecure vs. Insecure Attachment: the Story of the Boy & the Crow”
When I was a small boy of about three years of age, our neighbors had a coal black crow by the name of âJoe.â Joe was a very good crow who dutifully learned a few words from his master, also named Joe. He would call out âOh, Joe, Oh, Joeâ but could not fly due to having his wings clipped. But as time went on his feathers grew out. One day I was sitting on the porch playing with my little red truck and thinking thoughts of being a truck driver myself.. Actually, I was a very shy, creative child who spent most of his time in rich fantasies of fame and fortune. As I was sitting there with my truck and dreams Joe, the old black crow, flew over and perched on my head. Well, that was a shocking surprise, and so I jumped up and headed directly as fast as my short legs would go to find my mother. Fortunately she was only about twenty feet away in the kitchen kneading dough to make Keeglies (German fried rolls) that were to die for. As I speeded through the front screen door I was screaming, âThe crow is killing me, the crow is killing me!â This scream, of course, alerted my mother and so she put down the wooden rolling pin with the green handles and was ready for my crashing into the folds of her flowered dress. She gave me the greatest, softest, safest embrace with her sticky fingers covered with traces of dough and flower. She then said the most consoling words I have ever heard in all my life, âThere, there, Mark, everything is all right.â And it was. She then added, âSee, you scared the old crow away all by yourself.â And so I had.
Excerpt from Case Studies on Attachment by Dr. Mark Bieschel
