Hello stef478,
According to Winnicot, ?the object stands for the mother, or breast,
and represents the infant's journey from a close, symbiotic
relationship with the mother towards an individual, independent self
(a normal developmental goal for most).?
?Winnicott (1971) suggested that the objects are a way for the child
to calm their anxiety and are particularly important when the child is
going to sleep.?
(..)
Why Do Infants Use Soft Objects?
- They help infants to make the emotional transition from dependence
to independence.
- They give the child emotional and tangible comfort.
- They have a calming effect on the child.
- They can help an infant learn self-control.
- They act as a substitute bridge for the representation of the mother.
(American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001)(Brazelton, 1992)
?According to mothers, the majority of children with attachments to
objects had selected a soft cloth such as a blanket, pillow, or
diaper. Other objects used were soft toys and articles of their
mother?s clothing, (Lehman et al., 1996).?
(..)
?According to current research on the attachment of soft objects, ?as
estimated 60% of young, middle class children in Western cultures use
security blankets, pillows, and stuffed toys as soothers or comforters
when they are going to sleep or mildly distressed,? (Lehman et al.,
1995, p. 443).?
?It is suggested that the attachment to soft objects is very normal
and an important developmental phenomenon, (Lehman et al., 1995).?
?When children are asked what they like best about their soft object
(security blanket or stuffed toy), many stated they enjoyed the
texture and cuddliness of them, (Lehman et al., 1995).?
Source:
Infant Behavior and Development
Kansas State University Course
Spring 2001
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~aschmidt/securityblankets.htm
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?Winnicott's treatment of psychically disturbed children and their
mothers gave him the experience on which he built his most influential
concepts, such as the "holding environment" so crucial to
psychotherapy, and the "transitional object," known to every parent as
the "security blanket." He had a major impact on object relations
theory, particularly in his 1951 essay "Transitional Objects and
Transitional Phenomena," which focused on familiar, inanimate objects
that children use to stave off anxiety during times of stress.?
http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/d/do/donald_winnicott.html
Read more about it this book:
Winnicott, D.M. Play and Reality. (especially the chapter,
"Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena" )
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0415036895/qid=1088620254/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3812489-0476630?v=glance&s=books
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?A study (..) which showed that toddlers, usually in the Western
world, who sleep alone and experience frequent daytime separations
from their parents, sometimes develop a strong emotional tie to a
soft, cuddly toy or blanket. These objects of attachment are effective
sources of security that seem to substitute for special people when
such people are not available (Passman, 1987), yet such objects have
never played an important role in feeding.?
Passman, R. H. (1987). Attachments to inanimate objects: Are children
who have security blankets insecure? Journal of Counseling & Clinical
Psychology, 55, 825-830.
Ethological Attachment Theory: A Great Idea in Personality?
By Patricia Pendry: Northwestern University
http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/pendry.html
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Attachment to a blanket is an important source of consolation and
constancy for the young child.
?Many young children form a special attachment to an object such as a
blanket, and there is compelling evidence indicating that attachment
can be an important source of consolation and constancy for the young
child (Passman, 1978).?
(..)
?Previous research has shown that small children who are permitted to
keep their security objects nearby will be more successful in a
learning situation (Passman, 1977), be more comfortable when left
alone (Passman & Weisberg, 1975), and adjust better in the doctor?s
office (Ybarra, Passman & Eisenberg, 2000), than will children without
their attachment objects available. Perhaps more importantly, a review
of the research indicates that there is little or no connection
between blanket attachments and maladjustment in young children
(Passman, 1987).?
?According to Lefrancois (1995), in one study, Passman and Weisberg
(1975) compared the effectiveness of mothers and blankets in reducing
a child?s anxiety in a strange situation. They found that as long as
their blankets were close by, children who were attached to their
blankets played and explored as much, and displayed no more anxiety
than children who were not attached to blankets but whose mothers were
present. In fact, children who were attached to their blankets played
and explored more than children who lacked the presence of a mother, a
favorite toy, or a blanket.?
(..)
?In a study of 108 preschoolers, Lefrancois found little relationship
between attachments to blankets and general fearfulness.
?Blanket-attached children,? he concludes, ?are thus neither more
insecure nor more secure than others?.
Adult?s Perceptions of Security Blanket Attachments
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Grad_Sch/McNair/Summer00/blambert.htm
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A study presented at a meeting of the American Psychological
Association, ?suggest that the closer a parent is to the child during
the transition to sleep, the less likely the child will be to form an
attachment to a blanket or another inanimate object.?
?Blankets may also help children cope when the primary caregiver,
usually the mother, is not close by. Ybarra explained that children
see the primary caregiver as a source of safety and support. When an
object such as a blanket is introduced in certain situations such as
during meals and when a child is rocked to sleep, a child may transfer
some of these positive feelings to the blanket.?
"This is seen as positive in that it suggests that the blanket works
as a substitute when the mother is not available but when given the
choice of the two, the mother is almost routinely chosen, especially
in stressful situations," he said.?
Health Central
http://www.healthcentral.com/news/newsfulltext.cfm?ID=38471&src=n42
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According to Dr. Julie Lumeng, of the University of Michigan's Center
for Human Growth and Development in Ann Arbor, children who are
attached to security blankets are securely attached to their mothers
and psychologically healthy."
"The same studies show that when these children are in stressful or
new situations ? for example a new playgroup, preschool, going to the
doctor's office, a babysitter ? that if they have a security blanket
they are much better able to keep themselves calm than children who do
not have such an object. These children are actually better able to
socialize, to learn and to regulate their emotions when they have a
security blanket."
(..)
"Children primarily use these attachment objects or 'transitional
objects' like blankets as they are falling asleep, and it helps them
to do so,"
?Studies have shown that children's use of security blankets varies
based on their temperament. Temperament is thought to be an inborn
character trait ? a way of responding to certain situations."
Toddler?s Today
http://toddlerstoday.com/resources/articles/blanketbingo.htm
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?Research by to the American Psychological Association in 1997 showed
that ?bringing along a child?s security blanket, (or other ?security
item?) may actually make routine medical exams go smoother when mom is
unable to accompany the child.? They tested stress levels of children
with and without their blankets and with and without their mothers.
They found that when children needed medical attention and their
mothers could not be with them, having the security blanket brought
the children?s stress level to approximately the same level it would
be had the mother been there. This shows the very powerful affect
such seemingly little things can have on a child.?
Jorbins Inc
http://www.jorbins.com/baby-nursery-magazine/articles/children-security-items.php
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Search criteria:
security blanket study
blanket attachment in children
"blanket attachment" site:.edu
Transitional Objects
I hope you find this information helpful!
Best regards,
Bobbie7 |
