Graduation Year

2020

Date of Submission

6-2020

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Reader 1

Professor Tomoe Kanaya

Abstract

The theory of attachment suggested that children’s establishment of attachment with caregivers depended on caregiver’s responsiveness. From interactions with caregivers, children formed internal working models that could affect their views of the others and the self. In contemporary society, a proportion of children underwent maltreatment from either parents or institutions. The maltreatment could occur in various forms, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abused and neglect. Besides maltreatment’s negative impact on many areas, such as emotional regulation and self-esteem, it also had a profound influence on attachment, leading to insecure attachment styles or attachment disorders in children. In addition, the impact tended to be persistent, even until adulthood. Thus, studying maltreatment’s effects on attachment had the practical purpose of improving attachment, thereby promoting positive mental representations for others and self. Several interventions could be implemented to treat attachment related disturbances within family or institutional context.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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