Classifications of the quality of infant-mother and infant-father attachments were made for 59 children at 12 and 20 months of age using the Ainsworth strange situation paradigm. Stability of attachments from 12 to 20 months was examined in four groups defined by maternal employment status. (Author/RH)

Findings indicated that attachment-related affect may reflect an affect continuum that underlies certain mother- and stranger-directed behaviors in the Strange Situation. However, not all aspects of reunion behavior can be predicted by prior separation reactions. (Author/RH)

Infants whose mothers were supportive of their autonomy displayed greater task-oriented persistence and competence during play than did infants of more controlling mothers; securely attached and avoidant infants tended to exhibit greater persistence at tasks than anxious-ambivalent babies, and ambivalent babies were the most negative in affect.…

Asserts that the sensitive-period hypothesis has not been tested on three counts: (1) no systematic studies of initial mother/infant contacts exist, (2) the majority of studies confound timing and amount of contact, and (3) failure to consider underlying mechanisms results in the omission of designs and dependent measures that could address…

Temperament and attachment, as defined by Bowlby and his followers, are fundamentally different constructs, and research guided by the attachment perspective cannot meaningfully be assimilated to the temperament construct. Qualitative aspects of relationships simply cannot be reduced to individual behavioral dimensions. (RH)

Descriptions of the development of three families show the specific impact of pre-birth parental characteristics on the quality of the parent-infant transaction of infant soothability-responsiveness to need. As well as linking the parent's responsiveness to the infant, to the emergence and resolution of ambivalent feelings about caring for the…

Constructed a path model to examine the factors that elicit and sustain helping behavior in 148 adult children with elderly mothers. Field survey data indicated that present helping behaviors, attachment behaviors, and feelings of attachment had the strongest influence on commitment to provide future help. (JAC)

Five modes of reacting to the intimacy isolation crisis of young adulthood are described, measured and validated. Criteria for the intimacy statuses are: presence or absence of peer friendships, presence or absence of a committed relationship, and depth vs. superficiality of peer relationship. (Author/DEP)

Trust, in much the same way as hope, represents one of the essential components of a healthy upbringing. This article investigates the concept of trust as set forth in Eric Erikson's and Louise Kaplan's theories of basic trust, with particular emphasis on definition and development. The article analyzes some of the criteria that have been…

This research paper provides information that would be useful to practicing counselors and counselors in training. It reviews the relevant research pertaining to the relationship between attachment status and personality disorders. It also critiques methodological issues, including major assessment instruments and frequently used research designs.…

In a study of attachment behavior 10-month-old infants were observed under three conditions: with the mother, with an adult female stranger, and when both were present. Infants directed more social responses to the mother, but the stranger evoked more exploration behavior than distress. (ST)

Results of animal imprinting studies were generalized to attempt prediction of development of attachment in 28 polymatrically reared Kenyan Gusii infants, ages 6 to 30 months. While results provide evidence against a sensitive phase for attachment, an association was found between age of attachment and developmental level/caregiving history.…

Forty-three infants and mothers were observed in the Strange Situation when infants were 12.5 and 19.5 months old. Following each assessment, mothers completed a questionnaire concerning changes in family and care-giving circumstances. Results indicate that security of attachment reflects the current status of infant-mother interaction and that…

Discusses the topic of reciprocity of needs between children and caregivers and argues that children need to learn dependency before they can securely learn independence. (Author/RH)

Sixteen children at each of ages two, three, and four years were observed being approached by and interacting with a friendly stranger during their mothers' presence and absence. While analyses of discrete behaviors yielded results consistent with those of earlier studies, analyses based on a behavioral systems approach identified age and…