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Attachment in Middle Childhood: An Evolutionary–Developmental Perspective
Author(s) -
Del Giudice Marco
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
new directions for child and adolescent development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1534-8687
pISSN - 1520-3247
DOI - 10.1002/cad.20101
Subject(s) - developmental psychology , psychology , early childhood , perspective (graphical) , late childhood , erikson's stages of psychosocial development , childhood development , child development , developmental stage , computer science , artificial intelligence
Middle childhood is a key transitional stage in the development of attachment processes and representations. Here I discuss the middle childhood transition from an evolutionary–developmental perspective and show how this approach offers fresh insight into the function and organization of attachment in this life stage. I begin by presenting an integrated biological model of middle childhood and discussing the neurobiological mechanisms that support the middle childhood transition. I examine the potential role of adrenal androgens, focusing on their activational effects in interaction with early exposure to sex hormones. I then discuss three insights arising from the integrated model and apply them to the development of attachment in middle childhood. I consider the changing functions of attachment in light of social competition, the emergence of sex differences in attachment, and the model's implications for the genetics of attachment in middle childhood. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.