Child-Mother Attachment and Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood

유아기 모-자녀 간 애착유형과 정서지능과의 관계

Bowlby has proposed that child-mother attachment is important in the child's representation of self. In this study, the child's emotional intelligence was examined in connection with child-mother attachment with a sample of 5-year-olds. The quality of attachment was assessed based on the child's behavior on reunion following a separation, using a SSP (Strange Situation Procedure) system devised by Main and Solomon. The emotional intelligence was assessed with Lee's Scale for young children. The results show significant connections between child-mother attachment and the emotional intelligence. Specific areas of emotional intelligence are related to particular patterns of attachment. Namely, securely attached children are assessed significantly higher than the unsecurely attached, not only in the ability to identify and control their own emotions, but also in the ability to control others' emotional state. Also, securely attached children perceive their social competence significantly higher.