security theory

the proposition that infants and young children need to develop a secure dependence on their parents before they can explore unfamiliar situations. Lack of this secure base hampers a child from exploration and therefore from acquiring new skills. Mary D. Salter Ainsworth used this theory as the initial framework for her studies on infant attachment. [proposed by William Emet Blatz]

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Psychology term of the day

November 27th 2024

cacoethes

n. an irresistible, and sometimes irrational, desire or compulsion.