The bonds of affection and attachment between the baby and the parents during childhood are necessary for the correct development of the child, so much so that a separation of attachment figures, depending on the time and duration, can be devastating.
René Spitz studied psychological disorders in children in orphanages and hospitalized children separated from their mothers and found that severe cases of lack of affection in early childhood can lead to death.
- How a person relates to the world and others throughout his or her life is conditioned by the relationships he establishes with the family and the environment during his or her early life.
In formulating his theory of attachment, John Bowlby studied how the bond between mother and son is formed, while Mary Ainsworth described the different patterns of attachment. In this article, we’ll review your work and Spitz’s findings.
Attachment is a strong emotional bond between the child and the reference person (usually the mother), which leads them to be together. It is important to promote environmental exploration and facilitate learning, as well as promote adequate physical and mental development.
John Bowlby has studied how this link, which first appears in Phase 3, begins to develop and develops from the age of 7 months, when anxiety about separation and fear of strangers begins to manifest. In the previous two stages, the child may show preference for one. parents, but does not react in case of separation.
Mary Ainsworth designed a laboratory situation called “strange situation,” which allowed us to study in a controlled way the separations between children and their attachment figures. By observing children’s behavior in the face of separation and reunification, you were able to describe three attachment patterns:
These attachment patterns are considered universal and appear in different cultures, then a fourth type of attachment was identified: disorganized/disoriented attachment (group D).
The separation of the baby from the attachment figures before the age of 6 does not seem to pose so many problems, since the attachment is not yet fully established; However, between 6 months and 2 years, children are particularly vulnerable to separation anxiety.
Bowlby, after studying the effects of short-term separation and the evolution of depressive symptoms of anxiety, described three phases:
In cases where the child cannot adapt to loss, serious consequences can occur, such as intellectual retardation, socialization problems, and even death. In addition, Spitz says that early separation of the mother can cause different psychological diseases.
His studies were based on direct observation of children living in orphanages and children hospitalized for long periods of time. She also compared the development of children raised in institutions to children raised in women’s prisons with their mothers.
Anachlytic depression is a type of depression caused by partial emotional deprivation, i. e. lasting between 3 and 5 months, symptoms can disappear within a few months of the child having resumed the emotional relationship with the mother, with the attachment figure, or when the mother adopts and forms new bonds.
It is also known as hospital syndrome, as it was observed in children abandoned at the gates of an institution that could care for them (hospital, orphanage, convent, etc. ).
The term hospitalism is used to describe profound physical and psychological changes in children who have been abandoned or have been hospitalized for a long time.
In this environment and under these conditions, depressive symptoms are usually chronic and cognitive and social problems occur, among the most important changes described by Spitz in this table are:
In the event that the emotional deprivation is total, the condition can progress to cause depression, which can result in the death of the child. Children with depression have extreme thinness and nutritional and emotional deficits.
Marasm, as medically defined, is a type of extreme malnutrition that occurs before age 18 months because the mother stops feeding the baby. Nutritional deficiency is so severe that it can lead to death if not treated in time and associated complications are not resolved.
It has been observed to be caused not only by a nutritional deficiency, but also by the total lack of affection in babies. Children in institutions often do not have the opportunity to connect.
Crying, restlessness, hopelessness and developmental delays lead to interruption of crying, fixed gaze and lack of expression, lack of response to the environment, long periods of sleep and total loss of life. ‘appetite. It’s like the kids are gradually disappearing.
Thanks to Spitz’s studies, the conditions of hospitalization and institutionalization of children have been reformulated, his work shows that institutions must not only meet food needs, but also other equally important needs that, if neglected, become an obstacle to development.