The Myth of Attachment Theory by Heidi Keller;

Author:Heidi Keller; [Keller, Heidi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: PSYCHOLOGY/General, PSYCHOLOGY/Developmental/Adolescent, PSYCHOLOGY/Developmental/Child, PSYCHOLOGY/Psychotherapy/Child & Adolescent, PSYCHOLOGY/Psychotherapy/General, PSYCHOLOGY/Developmental/General, PSYCHOLOGY/Psychotherapy/Couples & Family, PSYCHOLOGY/Developmental/Adulthood & Aging, PSYCHOLOGY/Developmental/Lifespan Development
ISBN: 9781000467581
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Unlimited)
Published: 2022-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

7.1.1 Relationship unburdens

In any case there is no doubt that attachment is a relationship – and certainly relationships can differ in multiple ways, e.g. intensity, obligation, emotional tone. And certainly, also, relationships with different people are different.

The differentiation between attachment and relationship probably was made because of the burden that teachers experienced. Yet, it is another unsolved conceptual issue. The linguist Anna Winner holds a different position. She questions, generally, the relevance of attachment/relationship for early educational settings. In an open letter, the pedagogue and child and adolescent therapist, Éva Hédervári-Heller, and social and educational scientist, Annette Dreier, published a fervent rejection of Winner’s position. They claimed that there would be no doubt “…that a child can fare well in daycare only if the teacher is an attachment figure, a secure base” (2013, pp. 11–12). They further argue that children would develop an insecure or even disorganized attachment relationship if the teacher was physically and emotionally distant. These different views again stress the diversity of opinions in the field, despite the mainstream unity of attachment based pedagogics as a criterion for quality. In any case, teachers feel relieved of not being responsible for children’s development.

The whole discussion may also be an expression of cultural specificity. The headmaster of the multicultural kindergarten of Hebrew University in Jerusalem reacts emotionally and hugs children when they are sad, and also purely out of joy. He is concerned with good relationships with children and families, and does not think of differentiating attachment and relationship.

In any case, it would be more appropriate to concentrate on group relationships among children and group moderation of teachers. The concentration on the individual relationship of a teacher and a child as an indicator of pedagogical quality is a consequence of the general application of attachment theory to education. This will be further detailed in the next chapter.

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