Sensitivity

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Sensitivity is a by Mary Ainsworth was coined ( Engl. Maternal sensitivity ) from the psychology of early childhood bonds and refers to the quality of the response of a caregiver of an infant, by that person's early childhood binding influenced so is that a secure bond yields. The measuring method developed by Ainsworth was translated into German in 1977 by the attachment researcher Klaus Grossmann .

presentation

The background for Ainsworth's considerations was the observation that toddlers form the strongest bonds with those caregivers (mother, father, etc.) who deal with the children in a certain way - sensitively. The manner described as sensitivity is characterized by the following features:

Why is? What does that mean in concrete terms?
1. Perception of the child's behavior The caregiver is mentally and physically attentive and perceives the child's expressions, including changes in facial expressions and behavior.
2. Correct interpretation of the utterances The caregiver recognizes the needs of the child unaffected by their own sensitivities.
3. Immediate, prompt response The caregiver shows the child the effectiveness of his behavior.
4. Appropriate response The caregiver reacts
  • appropriate to the age of the child
  • in the right mode: dealing with the attachment behavior in fear (e.g. calm down, hugging), stimulation for exploratory behavior in boredom (e.g. shaking the rattle, throwing the ball).

Bond quality

Keller-Schuhmacher names the following bonding qualities that result from observing or disregarding sensitive behavior. Sensitivity should support the secure bond.

  • organized bonding patterns
    • secure bond
    • insecure-avoidant attachment
    • insecure-ambivalent attachment
  • Disorganized attachment
  • Disturbed attachment (pathological)

In a meta-analytical study in 1997, De Wolff and van IJzendoorn confirmed a strong correlation between parental sensitivity and secure attachment of the child, but showed that sensitivity neither always leads to secure attachment nor is a necessary prerequisite for secure attachment. Rather, in addition to sensitivity, there are other factors that also correlate positively with the development of a secure bond. Chief among these are: reciprocity ( mutuality ) and the simultaneity ( synchronicity ) as the aspects of interaction behavior and the excitation ( stimulation ), positive attitude ( positive attitude ) and heat ( emotional support ) parental behavior as aspects.

Comparable concepts

In addition to “sensitivity”, the term “emotional openness” is used (almost synonymously): The child gains security if parents react sensitively and emotionally open to their child.

The description of Mechthild Papoušek :

“Get involved in the development and experience of your own child; be guided by his signals, interests, preferences, joys and sorrows; rely on your own intuitive skills; Let yourself be seduced into play and inventiveness with the baby and talk to the baby during all of this. "

is quoted by Sabine Bode as a characterization of emotional openness in her book War Grandsons. In this book, she uses examples from early childhood experiences of war and flight to report how parents and children can remain strangers to one another due to the parental state of mind and how this can also influence the children later as adults. Bode also refers to the findings of Karl Heinz Brisch on transgenerational trauma .

The term sensitivity as used here refers to the caregiver (s) of a child. More generally, the ability and willingness to recognize and understand the thoughts, emotions, motives, and personality traits of another person and respond appropriately to them is called empathy . Investigate research on empathy and a. the empathy of children and its development ( see also: Determined and innate ability to empathy ).

See also

literature

Siegel, Daniel; Hartzfeld, Mary (2004): Live together, grow together. How we can understand ourselves better and accompany our children sensitively into life. Freiamt in the Black Forest: Arbor ISBN 978-3-9368-5595-1

swell

  1. ↑ Helmut Johnson (2006) attachment disorders material on systemic work in education and care . (PDF, 20 pages, 72 kB, archived).
  2. ↑ a b Kathrin Keller-Schuhmacher (2010) Attachment - from theory to practice: what is important? Presentation at the AWO conference on November 8, 2010 in Freiburg i.Br., (PDF, 10 pages, 111 kB, archived).
  3. ↑ Klaus E. Grossmann (1977) scales for recording maternal behavior by Mary DS Ainsworth ; In: KE Grossmann (Ed.) Development of the ability to learn in the social environment ; Munich, Kindler, pp. 96-107.
  4. ^ Marianne S. De Wolff, Marinus H. van Ijzendoorn: Sensitivity and Attachment: A Meta-Analysis on Parental Antecedents of Infant Attachment, hild Development, Vol. 68, No. 4, pp. 571-591, August 1997 doi : 10.1111 /j.1467-8624.1997.tb04218.x . Section General discussion, p. 585.
  5. ↑ See z. E.g. Ursula Haupt: Learning begins: Basic questions of the development and support of severely disabled children , W. Kohlhammer Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3-17-019313-0 , p. 24 .
  6. ↑ From the first cry to the first word. The language of the infant in the developmental context of dialogue with the parents. In: KH Brisch, Th. Hellbrügge (Ed.): The infant - attachment, neurobiology and genes. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2008, p. 168. Quoted from: Sabine Bode, Kriegsenkel: The heirs of the forgotten generation , Klett-Cotta, 2010, ISBN 978-3-608-10131-7 , p. 81 .
  7. ↑ Angela Moré: The unconscious passing on of trauma and entanglement of guilt to subsequent generations. Journal für Psychologie, Vol. 21 (2013), Edition 2 (PDF, 34 pages, 353 kB).
  8. ↑ Sabine Bode, war grandson: The heirs of the forgotten generation , Klett-Cotta, 2010, ISBN 978-3-608-10131-7 , pp. 80–81 .