A possible alternative explanation is that children from a higher economic status are more likely to have a better well being later in life than children from a lower economic status. The textbook cites some statistics supporting this claim, "In middle-class families, roughly 60% of the infants tested are categorized as 'secure'" (403). It also says that 7% of undernourished children were secure.
Certainly the evidence is there for the correlation between economic status and attachment security, but can money itself actually cause attachment issues? I think there are further variables which are caused by economic status that influence the attachment of children. For instance, adults who are economically secure might be more likely to be less stressed at home, spend more time at home, and spend more money on good baby toys and daycare.
Perhaps economic status itself is caused by some other personality trait in adults which is responsible for attachment in their children, for instance, someone who is relatively emotionally balanced and hardworking is more likely to be economically successful than someone with psychological issues serious enough to prevent them from keeping a long term job. These psychological issues would probably seriously impact the environment the child was living in as well, regardless of the amount of money in the family bank account.
Penname H - No single variable will cause attachment issues or produce difficulties with relationships. A person's genetics, a person's environment, and plain chance are likely to all be necessary in order to fully explain such complex aspects of a person's life.
I don't think it would be right to say that any single factor (money) or any single category of factors (economic status) could be more than correlated with attachment or future relationships.
-- Edited by 102intro on Monday 6th of April 2009 10:25:18 PM
It is true that money cannot cause the result of attachment issues. However, the affect of money on the family and how the family is raised can play a very big role on how the child learns to develop and grow attached to their mother. For example, a rich family that is very abusive, letting the child live in fear clearly will not help the child to feel safe and secure, which ultimately will not result in secure attachment. Another example is a family who is not so economically stable, therefore both parents work long hours and do not have time to take care the children will have different adjustment results but will still have difficulty feeling secure.
I believe that an alternative explanation is how much love and attention the child receives from his parents matters more than how much money the family has.
