Cultural variations in attachment

Meta-analysis 32 studies attachment behaviour. Examined over 2,000 ** classifications in 8 diff countries. Wanted to see if there would be inter-cultural diffs did exist + wanted to see if there were intra-cultrual diffs.

Inter-cultural diffs small. Secure most common in every country. Insecure-avoidant next most common in every country except Israel + Japan (colectivist at time).

Intra-cultural diffs  1.5x greater than inter-cultural.

Conclusion - global pattern across cultures similar to what found in US. Secure most common. Supports idea secure 'best' for healthy social + emotional development. Cultural similaties support view attachment innate + biological process.

Tronick et al (1992) - African tribe, lived in extended family groups. Infants looked after + breastfed by diff woman. Usually slept w/ own mother at night. Still showed one primary attachment. Supports VI + K's main finding.

Grossman + Grossman (1991) - German infants more insecurely attached, maybe due to diff childrearing - culture keeps interpersonal distance b/ween parents + children, don't engage in proximity-seeking behaviours in ** - insecurely attached.

Takahashi (1990) - used ** to study 60 m/c Japanese infants + mothers, similar rates secure attachment to those found by Ainsworth, but Japanese infants showed no evidence of insecure-avoidant attachment, high rates insecure-resistant (32%). Distressed being left alone; response so extreme, 90% infants study stopped.

Cultural variations - diff childcare practices. Japanese rarely separate from mothers - more distressed in **.

Rothbaum - benefit of research of cultural variations - psychs should be able to produce set of indigenous theories.

Culture bias - Rothbaum et al (2000) - methods not relevant to other cultures + so focused on American culture.

Comparing countries rather than cultures - diff subcultures w/in countries eg Tokyo similar attachment to Western (urban setting), rural Japanese areas over-representation of insecure-reistant.

Similarities may be nurture rather than nature, goes against Bowlby's idea of innate mechanism - may be effects of mass media.