A Deep Dive into the Psychology of Attachment Theory

Having a close, meaningful relationship with a parent is something many people take for granted, and simply expect it of their parents. For those children that lack that type of intimacy growing up, there can be negative consequences to their emotional development, possibly leading to mental disorders. This has been studied in depth, and is known as attachment theory. Attachment theory has been studied pertaining to rapists and serial killers, and emotionally stable children/adults who grew up with loving parents. Lacking a bond, or being neglected of attention as a young child can effect the course of someone’s life more than recognized. In an article by Alan L. Sroufe, the implication of attachment theory are described in disturbed individuals, “early anxious attachment is not viewed as psychopathology itself or as a direct cause of psychopathology but as an initiator of pathways probabilistically associated with later pathology” (Cambridge Core). When a child struggles early on with attachment to parents, it does not necessarily mean they will be a psychopath, but it triggers emotional distress which can ultimately turn into that in some cases. When the stories of a serial killers childhood is told, they always have a lack of loving family in common, exhibiting how the attachment theory is a prominent factor in someone’s emotional development. In addition, being rejected by your peers as a child may only lead a person to becoming more socially isolated, never developing empathy for other human beings.

Recently, an up-and-coming Rap artist who had just begun to gain popularity in the music world, named Jamell Demons (better known as YNW Melly), was arrested on two counts of first degree murder of two of his best friends. Being a fan of his music, it was disturbing to see how someone with a promising future could throw it all away so quickly. After hearing of the murder, I begun to research more about his personal life and why he could have done something so heinous. After watching a short documentary on YouTube, I found out his mother had him at 14 years old and he was often left on his own without someone to care for him. Growing up, he was very small and scrawny, owning only two pairs of shorts and a few different tee shirts. Other kids would bully and beat him up for it during his childhood, and he says in this interview before the murder charges that he has always dealt with demons and continues to fight them. In addition, he is being tested for mental competency because some people close to YNW Melly believe he could suffer from multiple personality disorder, causing him to have periods of insanity. While he has not been convicted of the two murders yet, I immediately thought about what his childhood could have been like when I saw he was arrested. In a book titled Female Serial Killers, the author investigates attachment as a trigger for psychopathic tendencies and lack of empathy, “These infants grow up to become adolescents and adults with no feelings of empathy, no attachment, and no remorse” (Vronsky 60). Not having a true connection with a parental figure could have led to YNW Melly developing certain mental disorders from neglect. Based on the attachment theory, the rapper could have developed a disorder like having multiple personalities from having traumatic experiences and no one to help him cope through it. He likely developed his own method of moral reasoning, rather than going through Piaget’s normal stages of moral development. Lack of attachment obviously does not mean someone will end up killing people, but it is important to recognize in a young child, and I have seen it first hand at work.

Working at Carter’s/Osh Kosh, a children’s clothing store for anyone from newborns to 14 year old’s, I get to see a lot of mother/father and children interaction. Obviously, I witness disgruntled, tired children throw fits wanting to just go home already. In addition, the most interesting thing I consistently see at work is a correlation between how a parent treats their child and that child’s behavior. The parents who practically drag their toddler to the register, scolding them for any move out of their line of sight, are often the ones that do not listen, throw the crayon box on the ground and scribble on other children’s papers when waiting for their parents to finish checking out at the register. I never realized how strong the correlation was between treatment of child and child’s behavior until working at a children’s store. Young children are capable of feeling empathy, and this is described in the article by Cafan and Avram, “securely attached preschoolers are prone to exhibiting more empathy towards others’ distress compared to insecurely attached children” (1). While I only get a glimpse of the relationship for a brief moment, the parents who engage with their child, letting them play with the toys and genuinely trying to make them happy, often are the ones whose kids are well behaved, greet me at the register with a high five, and seem to obey what their parents say for the most part. In a book titled Child Maltreatment, the author describes how a child with close attachment to a proximal parental figure typically acts “An infant whose mother is sensitive in her responsiveness to infant signals usually displays positive affect in interaction” (Cicchetti 438). There is such an emphasis in Developmental Psychology of intimate and meaningful relationships between young children and parents leading to better emotional development throughout a kid’s childhood and life in general. One crucial difference I notice at work pertaining to level of attachment is certain mom’s yell at their kid for playing with the toys right next to the register, leading them to cry, and others encourage them to explore and play with many different things. Attachment theory claims that children who do not have strong relationships with either their mother or father tend to be more emotionally unstable later in life, and in severe cases become rapists or serial killers. It is unclear what that line is that causes some children to cope with their lack of attachment and become successful, and why certain people never overcome it and do not develop properly.

The most severe example of a psychopath likely resulting from some sort of attachment issue is Ted Bundy. His name has become popular in the news recently due to a movie being made about his life as a serial killer, and a popular documentary series describing his entire life. One of the aspects they often discuss about his childhood is how lonely he was, and how his mother even passed herself off as his sister to avoid having to care for him. His attachment style was likely disorganized, as he withdrew from social situations and had no remorse for others. He said before his execution on death row that he had no real friends growing up. Being unable to connect with his peers likely led to an upbringing of isolation and extremely low self-esteem, and his fearful attachment style is described in an article about different serial killers and their motives for killing, “Ted Bundy also mentioned how “ … the pressures, tensions, dissatisfactions … “ fueled the need to engage in voyeurism and violent pornography” (Sharma 57). Bundy was not a serial killer because of having an anxious/fearful/disorganized attachment type to others, but this was a trigger for social isolation, which in turn led to impulsivity and extreme actions when faced with hardship. After his girlfriend in college broke up with him, he went into a deep depression and likely developed a complete lack of empathy for others, breeding him into the most heinous serial killer America has ever seen. Negative attachment types are not what causes a serial killer, but can certainly be investigated as a trigger.

A child with a secure attachment type typically enjoys being around their parents, are happy when they see their parents, and look for comfort when they are feeling down or sad. Children’s emotions are just as vital if not more than adults, due to their developing brains that are setting them up for emotional stability/instability as adolescents and adults. When a parent does not connect with their child and care for their emotional needs, this child can develop one of the few negative attachment styles, leading to emotional distress and instability growing up. Children with secure attachments to parents are more likely to be emotionally and mentally stable when growing up and as adults. There are extreme cases of heinous acts done by individuals, who have likely had some sort of attachment issue growing up, whether that be related to social situations with peers or with lack of a caring parent or guardian. Society views murderers and serial killers as evil, but the evil has to root from some sort of experience, which is where the nature vs. nurture debate comes in. Someone like YNW Melly, whose mother had him at 14, and could not give him the emotional support he needed, set him up to develop abnormally, and being bullied for having limited clothes to wear likely furthered his mental issues. He was unable to have secure attachment to those close to him. In addition, Ted Bundy grew up isolated from his peers and family, which led to certain triggers like a breakup to set him off, and make him fully commit to being unempathetic, remorseless, and the most heinous killer of all time. Attachment theory claims that children who do not have strong relationships with either their mother or father tend to be more emotionally unstable later in life, and in severe cases become rapists or serial killers. When working at a children’s clothing store, I witness families with secure attachment to their young children, and those without attachment to them. It is clear in the child’s behavior how attachment theory directly effects them, but is unknown how it will alter their lives in the long run. These examples of attachment theory are not directly related, but all exhibit how attachment theory plays a vital role in a child’s development and in our society as a whole. Developing a secure attachment with a parental figure is as important for a young child as eating, because it gives them that basis of trust and emotional support with someone other than themselves.

References

Cicchetti, D. (1989, June 30). Child Maltreatment. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=74gyVSJhg5oC&oi=fnd&pg=PA432&dq=attachment theory children behavior&ots=GiPF5uD-NY&sig=va7iD1rRARHQQu_J5gLUOMh9OIQ#v=onepage&q=attachment theory children behavior&f=false

Sharma, M. (2018, January 1). The Development of Serial Killers: A Grounded Theory Study. Retrieved from https://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=4722&context=theses

Sroufe, L. A., Carlson, E. A., Levy, A. K., & Egeland, B. (1999, March 01). Implications of attachment theory for developmentalpsychopathology | Development and Psychopathology. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/development-and-psychopathology/article/implications-of-attachment-theory-for-developmental-psychopathology/62806D99965FFD7E5D9B062641AD5E3B

Stefan, C. (2019, March 9). Investigating attachment status effects on preschoolers’ empathic perspective-taking. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.login.library.coastal.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=b1884cbd-24cd-4709-802b-9a15e321bdc5@sdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=2019-13791-001&db=psyh

Vronsky, P. (2007, August 7). Female Serial Killers. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=lff8T6YnG10C&pg=PA59&dq=attachment theory serial killer&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijxei1wIziAhVPmuAKHWzdC10Q6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=attachment theory serial killer&f=false