Attachment Styles

We have learned that attachment occurs due to safety needs, but what if these needs were not met? In this discussion, you will consider attachment styles and potential outcomes when conditions are not ideal for attachment, as well as the interaction between attachment styles and temperament.

Sadie is a 10-year-old girl who has lived with a foster family for one month. She has been in foster care most of her life, having been removed from her biological parents’ care before she turned one year old. Sadie’s parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol and she spent most of her infancy in her crib or playpen, alone in her room. Sadie was exposed to drugs and alcohol in utero, although there are no known physical effects. It is unknown whether, in addition to neglect, she was abused sexually or physically. These are possibilities given her parents’ addictions and presence of multiple adults in her house at any given time.

Since Sadie’s arrival, her foster parents have noted several behaviors that seem odd. Despite her sweet personality, Sadie becomes angry easily. She hugs people indiscriminately, while at the same time pushing others away. At times, Sadie avoids her foster mother or seems unconcerned with her not being in the room. At other times, she becomes very distraught and cries frantically when her foster mother leaves the room. She has a difficult time interacting socially with the other children at school and has only a few friends. At the same time, she clings to her teacher, constantly hugging her, and even trying to kiss her. Although she has been provided with toys, books, and games, Sadie collects odd things such as used staples or the rubber pieces left over from pencils.

Tasks:

Based on your analysis of the scenario, in the Discussion Area respond to the following:

• Describe the attachment styles identified based on the work of Bowlby and Ainsworth. Remember to use your book.
• Explain why it is important to understand attachment styles.
• Describe at least two developmental concepts involved in attachment that Sadie might have missed, given her behaviors. Include an understanding of concepts such as social reciprocity, imitation, and exploration.
• Given her early isolation and multiple caregivers, describe important social development stages that Sadie may have missed.
• Explain the concept of temperament. How might her temperament be described? How is temperament different than temper?
• What protective factors might help her?

Submission Details

• By the due date assigned, post your 200- to 300-word response to the Discussion Area.
• Through the end of the module, review and respond to the questions submitted by at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking questions, providing or asking for statements of clarification, and drawing conclusions. Offer your own assessments insights and issues mentioned by your classmates.
• All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources. Use this APA Citation Helperas a convenient reference for properly citing resources.

Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsQuality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions16Quality of responses to classmates12Frequency of responses to classmates4Reference to supporting readings and other materials4Language and grammar4Total:40

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.