Comfort object

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A comfort object, more formally a transitional object or attachment object, [1] [2] is an item used to provide psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for children. Among toddlers, a comfort object often takes the form of a blanket (called a security blanket) or a stuffed animal, doll or other toy, and may be referred to by a nickname such as blanka.

Contents

Comfort objects are said to enable children to gain independence and research indicates that these objects have positive effects on children by reducing anxiety in later life. [3]

In child psychology

Legend: (a) mother, (b) child, (1) illusion, (2) transitional object Objet transitionnel.svg
Legend: (a) mother, (b) child, (1) illusion, (2) transitional object

In human childhood development, the term transitional object is normally used. It is something, usually a physical object, which takes the place of the mother-child bond. Common examples include dolls, teddy bears or blankets.

Donald Woods Winnicott introduced the concepts of transitional objects and transitional experience in reference to a particular developmental sequence. With "transition" Winnicott means an intermediate developmental phase between the psychic and external reality. In this "transitional space" we can find the "transitional object".

When the young child begins to separate the "me" from the "not-me" and evolves from complete dependence to a stage of relative independence, it uses transitional objects. Infants see themselves and the mother as a whole. In this phase the mother "brings the world" to the infant without delay which gives it a "moment of illusion", a belief that its own wish creates the object of its desire which brings with it a sense of satisfaction. Winnicott calls this subjective omnipotence. Alongside the subjective omnipotence of a child lies an objective reality, which constitutes the child's awareness of separateness between itself and desired objects. While the subjective omnipotence experience is one in which the child feels that its desires create satisfaction, the objective reality experience is one in which the child independently seeks out objects of desire.[ citation needed ]

Later on the child comes to realize that the mother is a separate entity, which tells the child that they have lost something. The child realizes that they are dependent on others, thus losing the idea that they are independent. This realization creates a difficult period and brings frustration and anxiety with it. The mother cannot always be there to "bring the world" to the baby, a realization which has a powerful, somewhat painful, but ultimately constructive impact on the child. Through fantasizing about the object of its wishes the child will find comfort. A transitional object can be used in this process. The transitional object is often the first "not me" possession that really belongs to the child. This could be a real object like a blanket or a teddy bear, but other "objects", such as a melody or a word, can fulfill this role as well. This object represents all components of "mothering", and it means that the child itself is able to create what it needs as well. It enables the child to have a fantasized bond with the mother when she gradually separates for increasingly longer periods of time. The transitional object is important at the time of going to sleep and as a defense against anxiety. In a study conducted in Brazil, children who used transitional objects were able to calm down and go to sleep more easily than children who did not use transitional objects. [4]

In a later stage of the development, the child no longer needs the transitional object. It is able to make a distinction between "me" and "not-me", keeping inside and outside apart and yet interrelated. This development leads to the use of illusion, symbols and objects later on in life.

Some bedtime comfort objects for the typical child in 1943 Kid, teddy bear, hobby horse, bed Fortepan 14743.jpg
Some bedtime comfort objects for the typical child in 1943

Winnicott related the concept of transitional object to a more general one, transitional phenomena, which he considered to be the basis of science, religion and all of culture. Transitional objects and phenomena, he said, are neither subjective nor objective but partake of both. In Mental Space, Robert Young has provided an exposition of these concepts and has generalized their role into psychic phenomena in adult life. [5] [6]

Research with children on this subject was performed at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee by Richard H. Passman and his associates. Among other findings, they showed that security blankets are appropriately named – they actually do give security to those children attached to them. Along with other positive benefits, having a security blanket available can help children adapt to new situations, aid in their learning, and adjust to physicians' and clinical psychologists' evaluations. Passman's research also points out that there is nothing abnormal about being attached to them. In the United States, about 60% of children have at least some attachment to a security object. A bedtime toy is often used by children while going to sleep. It is typically a plush toy or something of that nature that children can cuddle up with while going to sleep. It is sometimes combined with a nightlight. Bedtime toys are typically of an animal, such as the common teddy bear, or any other creature, such as a mythical creature or fictional character. The toy is often used for physical comfort, and most commonly psychological comfort for children with separation anxiety and a strong fear of the night.

Therapeutic use

Emergency vehicles and police patrol cars are sometimes equipped with stuffed toys, to be given to victims involved in car accidents or traumatic shock situations in order to provide them comfort.

Often charities will provide comfort objects such as blankets and quilts to survivors of disasters. [7]

After the September 11 attacks, writes Marita Sturken in Tourists of History, "the Oklahoma City National Memorial sent six hundred teddy bears and then the state of Oklahoma sent sixty thousand stuffed animals to New York, which were distributed to children in schools affected by 9/11, family support organizations, and New York fire stations." [8]

Transitional Wearable Companion

Transitional Wearable Companion is an experimental, interactive, wearable, zoomorphic toy (e.g., PlusMe ) developed as a social motivator, during the therapy sessions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). [9] [10] [11]

Use by adults

Adults may also use comfort objects. Many adults consider the comfort that security blankets provide as essential to their mental and emotional well-being. [12] Additionally, according to a 2011 survey by Travelodge, about 35 percent of British adults sleep with a teddy bear. [13] In a 2008 study, the Sony AIBO robotic pet was found to decrease loneliness among elderly in nursing homes. [14]

The notion of a "comfort object" may be expanded to include representations of one's family, home, and culture. It is significant to the person and gives psychological strength and assistance by representing their emotional attachments. The object helps with one's capacity to be alone. These objects can include photographs, memorabilia, music records, and even artwork made with family members. [15] With the increase in movement away from home, and sometimes constant movement from one place to another for job opportunities or immigration, it is very common for people to carry these items with them. [16] People may look to these objects for emotional support during transitional periods, such as assimilating to a new area, or when experiencing trauma or a significant loss. [16]

Cross-cultural uses

Researchers have observed that the incidence of attachment behavior toward inanimate objects differs depending on the culture in which the infant was raised. It is suggested that infants' attachment to inanimate objects would be less frequent in societies in which in an infant may spend most of the day in close contact with their mother. [17] In particular, in Western countries object attachments were indeed found to be common, [18] with rates reaching as high as 60%. [18] In a study conducted by Michael Hong, it was found that around 50% of American children and only around 20% of Korean children developed an attachment to a blanket or an equivalent type of primary transitional objects. [19] A similar study by Renata Gaddini found that around 30% of urban Italian children and only 5% of rural Italian children developed attachments to comfort objects. [20] The interpretation of multiple studies suggests that child-rearing practices influence both the incidence of infants' attachment to inanimate objects and perhaps the choice of attachment objects. [19]

Common objects

Common comfort objects used by humans include: pacifiers; weighted blankets; worry beads; and good luck charms. In Japan, dakimakura are commonly used by Japanese youth as "security objects". [21] Using crib cards during exams can be considered a comfort object for students. [22]

The term security blanket was popularized in the Peanuts comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz, who gave such a blanket to his character Linus van Pelt. Linus called it his "security and happiness blanket", in Good Grief, More Peanuts printed in 1956. [23] However, the concept of a comfort blanket existed prior to Peanuts. In a November 1954 Review Report article, writer "Bev" wrote about her daughter: "Security blanket. My younger child is one year old. When she finds a fuzzy blanket or a fleecy coat, she presses her cheek against it and sucks her thumb." Since 1920, blankets which clipped onto sleeping infants to prevent them from rolling out of bed and keep the body covered were dubbed "security blanket fasteners". [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Winnicott</span> English pediatrician and psychoanalyst

Donald Woods Winnicott was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory and developmental psychology. He was a leading member of the British Independent Group of the British Psychoanalytical Society, President of the British Psychoanalytical Society twice, and a close associate of Marion Milner.

Co-sleeping or bed sharing is a practice in which babies and young children sleep close to one or both parents, as opposed to in a separate room. Co-sleeping individuals sleep in sensory proximity to one another, where the individual senses the presence of others. This sensory proximity can either be triggered by touch, smell, taste, or noise. Therefore, the individuals can be a few centimeters away or on the other side of the room and still have an effect on the other. It is standard practice in many parts of the world, and is practiced by a significant minority in countries where cribs are also used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Harlow</span> American psychologist

Harry Frederick Harlow was an American psychologist best known for his maternal-separation, dependency needs, and social isolation experiments on rhesus monkeys, which manifested the importance of caregiving and companionship to social and cognitive development. He conducted most of his research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow worked with him for a short period of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attachment theory</span> Psychological ethological theory about human relationships

Attachment theory is a psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory concerning relationships between humans. The most important tenet is that young children need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for normal social and emotional development. The theory was formulated by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby (1907-1990).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacifier</span> Rubber, plastic or silicone nipple for infants or toddlers to suck upon

A pacifier is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple substitute given to an infant or toddler to suckle upon between feedings to quiet its distress by satisfying the need to suck when it does not need to eat. Pacifiers normally have three parts: an elongated teat, a handle, and a mouth shield which prevents the child from swallowing or choking on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bowlby</span> British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (1907–1990)

Edward John Mostyn Bowlby, CBE, FBA, FRCP, FRCPsych was a British psychologist, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst, notable for his interest in child development and for his pioneering work in attachment theory. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Bowlby as the 49th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Play therapy</span> Childrens mental health therapy method

Play therapy refers to a range of methods of capitalising on children's natural urge to explore and harnessing it to meet and respond to the developmental and later also their mental health needs. It is also used for forensic or psychological assessment purposes where the individual is too young or too traumatised to give a verbal account of adverse, abusive or potentially criminal circumstances in their life.

Mary Dinsmore Ainsworth was an American-Canadian developmental psychologist known for her work in the development of the attachment theory. She designed the strange situation procedure to observe early emotional attachment between a child and their primary caregiver.

In psychology, an affectional bond is a type of attachment behavior one individual has for another individual, typically a caregiver for their child, in which the two partners tend to remain in proximity to one another. The term was coined and subsequently developed over the course of four decades, from the early 1940s to the late 1970s, by psychologist John Bowlby in his work on attachment theory. The core of the term affectional bond, according to Bowlby, is the attraction one individual has for another individual. The central features of the concept of affectional bonding can be traced to Bowlby's 1958 paper, "The Nature of the Child's Tie to his Mother".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attachment in children</span> Biological instinct

Attachment in children is "a biological instinct in which proximity to an attachment figure is sought when the child senses or perceives threat or discomfort. Attachment behaviour anticipates a response by the attachment figure which will remove threat or discomfort". Attachment also describes the function of availability, which is the degree to which the authoritative figure is responsive to the child's needs and shares communication with them. Childhood attachment can define characteristics that will shape the child's sense of self, their forms of emotion-regulation, and how they carry out relationships with others. Attachment is found in all mammals to some degree, especially primates.

Attachment measures, or attachment assessments, are the various procedures used to assess the attachment system in children and adults. These procedures can assess patterns of attachment and individual self-protective strategies. Some assessments work across the several models of attachment and some are model-specific. Many assessments allow children and adults' attachment strategies to be classified into three primary attachment pattern groups: B-pattern, A-pattern, C-pattern. In most models, each pattern group is further broken down into several sub-patterns. Some assessments are capable of finding additional information about an individual, such as unresolved trauma, depression, history of family triangulation, and lifespan changes in the attachment pattern. Some assessments specifically or additionally look for caregiving behaviors, as caregiving and attachment are widely considered two separate systems for organizing thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Some methods assess disorders of attachment or romantic attachment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Father figure</span> A male considered a role model or a confidant to a younger person

A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal term "father figure", the role of a father figure is not limited to the biological parent of a person, but may be played by uncles, grandfathers, elder brothers, family friends, or others. The similar term mother figure refers to an older woman.

Co-regulation is a term used in psychology. It is defined most broadly as a "continuous unfolding of individual action that is susceptible to being continuously modified by the continuously changing actions of the partner". An important aspect of this idea is that co-regulation cannot be reduced down to the behaviors or experiences of the individuals involved in the interaction. The interaction is a result of each participant repeatedly regulating the behavior of the other. It is a continuous and dynamic process, rather than the exchange of discrete information.

Cupboard love is a popular learning theory of the 1950s and 1960s based on the research of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, Melanie Klein and Mary Ainsworth. Rooted in psychoanalysis, the theory speculates that attachment develops in the early stages of infancy. This process involves the mother satisfying her infant's instinctual needs, exclusively. Cupboard love theorists conclude that during infancy, our primary drive is food which leads to a secondary drive for attachment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of attachment theory</span>

Attachment theory, originating in the work of John Bowlby, is a psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory that provides a descriptive and explanatory framework for understanding interpersonal relationships between human beings.

The strange situation is a procedure devised by Mary Ainsworth in the 1970s to observe attachment in children, that is relationships between a caregiver and child. It applies to children between the age of nine and 30 months. Broadly speaking, the attachment styles were (1) secure and (2) insecure. Later, Mary Main and her husband Erik Hesse introduced the 4th category, disorganized. The procedure played an important role in the development of attachment theory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secure attachment</span>

Secure attachment is classified by children who show some distress when their caregiver leaves but are able to compose themselves quickly when the caregiver returns. Children with secure attachment feel protected by their caregivers, and they know that they can depend on them to return. John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth developed a theory known as attachment theory after inadvertently studying children who were patients in a hospital at which they were working. Attachment theory explains how the parent-child relationship emerges and provides influence on subsequent behaviors and relationships. Stemming from this theory, there are four main types of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent attachment, avoidant attachment and disorganized attachment.

Sleep training is a set of parental intervention techniques with the end goal of increasing nightly sleep in infants and young children, addressing “sleep concerns”, and decreasing nightime signalling. Although the diagnostic criteria for sleep issues in infants is rare and limited, sleep training is usually approached by parent(s) or caregivers self indentifying supposed sleep issues.

Studies have found that the father is a child's preferred attachment figure in approximately 5–20% of cases. Fathers and mothers may react differently to the same behaviour in an infant, and the infant may react to the parents' behaviour differently depending on which parent performs it.

Social emotional development represents a specific domain of child development. It is a gradual, integrative process through which children acquire the capacity to understand, experience, express, and manage emotions and to develop meaningful relationships with others. As such, social emotional development encompasses a large range of skills and constructs, including, but not limited to: self-awareness, joint attention, play, theory of mind, self-esteem, emotion regulation, friendships, and identity development.

References

  1. ↑ "The origins and development of attachment object behavior". 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Providing Attachment Objects to Facilitate Learning and Reduce Distress: Effects of Mothers and Security Blankets". 1977. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Zion.Tankard (6 February 2019). "Comfort Objects and Attachment Parenting". La Leche League International. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Vercelli, Ligia de Carvalho Abões; Negrão, Tatiane Peres Alves (30 September 2019). "Um olhar sobre o período de adaptação de crianças pequenas a um centro de educação infantil e o uso de objetos transicionais". EccoS – Revista Científica (in Portuguese) (50): 13320. doi: 10.5585/eccos.n50.13320 . ISSN   1983-9278. S2CID   214054742.
  5. ↑ Young, R. M. (1994). Mental Space. London: Process Press. ch. 8
  6. ↑ Young, R. M. (1989). "Transitional phenomena: production and consumption", in B. Richards, ed., Crises of the Self: Further Essays on Psychoanalysis and Politics. London: Free Association Books, pp. 57–72.
  7. ↑ "Project 13 :: Security blankets for tornado survivors". Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  8. ↑ The recent history of such comfort objects, particularly teddy bears, as well a critique of their comfort-providing function can be found in Marita Sturken, Tourists of History: Memory, Kitsch, and Consumption from Oklahoma City to Ground Zero (Durham: Duke University Press, 2007), here p. 7.
  9. ↑ Özcan, Beste; Caligiore, Daniele; Sperati, Valerio; Moretta, Tania; Baldassarre, Gianluca (1 August 2016). "Transitional Wearable Companions: A Novel Concept of Soft Interactive Social Robots to Improve Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder". International Journal of Social Robotics. 8 (4): 471–481. doi:10.1007/s12369-016-0373-8. ISSN   1875-4805. S2CID   5713971.
  10. ↑ Sperati, Valerio; Özcan, Beste; Romano, Laura; Scaffaro, Simone; Moretta, Tania; Turturo, Giada; Aliberti, Maria Nicoletta; Guidetti, Vincenzo; Baldassarre, Gianluca (2019). "Acceptability of the Transitional Wearable Companion "+me" in Typical Children: A Pilot Study". Frontiers in Psychology. 10: 125. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00125 . ISSN   1664-1078. PMC   6375895 . PMID   30800083.
  11. ↑ Sperati, Valerio; Özcan, Beste; Romano, Laura; Moretta, Tania; Scaffaro, Simone; Faedda, Noemi; Turturo, Giada; Fioriello, Francesca; Pelosi, Simone; Giovannone, Federica; Sogos, Carla (2020). "Acceptability of the Transitional Wearable Companion "+me" in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparative Pilot Study". Frontiers in Psychology. 11: 951. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00951 . ISSN   1664-1078. PMC   7270338 . PMID   32547445.
  12. ↑ Do You Still Have a Security Blanket? Dr. John Grohol, PsychCentral, 13 October 2010
  13. ↑ 35 percent of British adults sleep with bear United Press International, 21 February 2012
  14. ↑ "Study: Dogs, Robots Cheer Elderly". Fox News. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  15. ↑ "Objects of Affection: And the Students Who Won't Leave Home Without Them". www.fdu.edu. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  16. 1 2 Ben-Moche, Erin. "Is it OK to hold on to your childhood comfort object?". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  17. ↑ Bowlby, John (1969). Attachment and loss . New York: Basic Books. ISBN   9780465097166. OCLC   24186.
  18. 1 2 Fortuna, Keren; Baor, Liora; Israel, Salomon; Abadi, Adi; Knafo, Ariel (22 May 2014). "Attachment to inanimate objects and early childcare: A twin study". Frontiers in Psychology. 5: 486. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00486 . ISSN   1664-1078. PMC   4033092 . PMID   24904499.
  19. 1 2 Hong, K. Michael; Townes, Brenda D. (1 December 1976). "Infants' Attachment to Inanimate Objects: A Cross-Cultural Study". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 15 (1): 49–61. doi:10.1016/S0002-7138(09)62260-3. ISSN   0890-8567. PMID   1254847.
  20. ↑ Gaddini, Renata; Gaddini, Eugenio (1 April 1970). "Transitional Objects and the Process of Individuation: A Study in Three Different Social Groups". Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry. 9 (2): 347–365. doi:10.1016/S0002-7138(09)61842-2. ISSN   0002-7138. PMID   5482392.
  21. ↑ Galbraith, Patrick W. (2009). The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan . Tokyo: Kodansha International. ISBN   9784770031013.
  22. ↑ Burns, Kathleen C. (January 2014). "Security Blanket or Crutch? Crib Card Usage Depends on Students' Abilities". Teaching of Psychology. 41 (1): 66–68. doi:10.1177/0098628313514181. ISSN   0098-6283. S2CID   145513269.
  23. 1 2 "Security blanket" . Retrieved 2 October 2014.

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