The transitional object reconsidered: Some sociocultural variations and their implications

Applegate, Jeffrey S.

doi:10.1007/bf00755709

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The transitional object and transitional phenomena serve as an adaptive self soothing device that provides security and reduces stress when the care giver is no longer available at all times to satisfy the child's needs. Moreover, the transitional object arises in the context of the infant being left alone, particularly at bedtime (Applegate, 1989). Thus it would be consistent that good enough mothering would promote transitional object use in a cultural context where the view of individual independence promotes sleeping alone in infancy, and makes it less likely in another cultural context such as Japan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Prevalence of transitional objects in young children in Tokyo and New York

Hobara¹

2003

Infant Mental Health Journal

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This study compared the prevalence of children's transitional object attachment in the two groups of young children in Tokyo and New York. The subjects (mothers of a child who was between two and four years of age) were 50 Caucasian women who resided in New York and 50 Japanese women who resided in Tokyo. Families of all subjects were within middle and upper socioeconomic status. There was a higher prevalence of transitional object attachment in American children (62%) than in Japanese children (38%). Japanese children more often slept in the same bed or same room with mothers than American children. The two groups did not differ regarding the hours of mother's availability. The results lend support to Gaddini and Gaddini's suggestion that children whose mothers are continuously available, especially at night, are not likely to develop attachment to transitional objects. The results from this survey research were discussed in terms of significance of transitional object attachment on child development.RESUMEN: Este estudio comparó la prevalencia de la unión afectiva de los niños hacia objetos transitorios, en dos grupos de niños pequeños en Tokio y Nueva York. Los sujetos del estudio (madres de un niño entre los dos y cuatro años de edad) fueron 50 mujeres de raza blanca residentes en Nueva York y 50 mujeres japonesas residentes en Tokio. Todas estas madres pertenecían a familias con una condición socioeconómica media o alta. Hubo mayor prevalencia en cuanto a la unión afectiva hacia objetos transitorios en los niños norteamericanos (62%) que en los niños japoneses (38%). Los niños japoneses, más a menudo, dormían en la misma cama o el mismo cuarto con sus madres que los niños norteamericanos. No se dio ninguna diferencia entre estos grupos en cuanto a la cantidad de horas en que la madre estaba disponible. Los resultados apoyan las sugerencias de Gaddini y Gaddini (1970) de que los niños cuyas madres están continuamente disponibles, especialmente durante la noche, no están propensos a desarrollar afectividad hacia objetos transitorios. Estos resultados de la investigación se discuten en términos del significado de la afectividad hacia objetos transitorios en el desarrollo del niño.RÉ SUMÉ : Cette étude a comparé la fréquence de l'attachement des enfants à un objet de transition chez deux groupes de jeunes enfants à Tokyo et à New York. Les sujets (mères d'un enfant qui avait entre deux et quatre ans) étaient cinquante femmes blanches résidant à New York et cinquante Japonaises résidant à Tokyo. Les familles des sujets venaient d'un milieu socioéconomique de la moyenne et haute bourgeoisie. On a trouvé une fréquence plus élevée d'attachement à un objet de transition chez les enfants américains (62%) que chez les enfants japonais (38%). Les enfants japonais dormaient plus souvent dans This is a master's thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts, the City College of the City University of New York. The author wishes to...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Prevalence of transitional objects in young children in Tokyo and New York

Hobara¹

2003

Infant Mental Health Journal

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“…A plethora of theoretical speculation on transitional object/phenomena has appeared in the literature subsequent to Winnicott's (1953) conceptualization. The child's attachment to an inanimate object has been studied in its relationship to: separation-individualization Stevenson & Wlnnicott, 1954;Gaddini & Gaddini, 1970;Mahler, 1972;Mahler, Pine and Bergman, 1975); ego and body ego development (Coppolillo, 1967;Tolpin, 1971;Brody, 1980); the development of creativity, cognition, and symbol formation (Rose, 1978, Hong, 1978; temperament and personality (Cohen & Clark, 1984;Morris, Gunderson & Zanarini, 1986;Haslam, 1992); and culture (Hanchett & Casale, 1976;Hong & Townes, 1976;Applegate, 1989).…”

Section: General Research Related To Transitional Objectsphenomenamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…storytelling, lullabies) or to assess how variations in early transitional object use affect later developmental phases. Applegate (1989) stressed the need for more culturally sensitive research to assess whether the use of transitional objects is a universal phenomenon, as Winnicott had suggested, and to explore selected family patterns for achieving transitional relatedness. He states:…”

Section: Transitional Objectdphenomena: Gender and Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Transitional Objects: A Review of the Literature

Galligan

1994

Child Adoles Psych Nursing

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The author provides a historical overview of the literature on the topic of transitional objects and transitional phenomena. Specific attention is given to the literature that has focused on: (a) the meaning and significance of the concept, (b) its relation to psychological development, and (c) an exploration of cultural and gender differences among users of the transitional object. Implications for therapy and suggestions for further research in this area are also be addressed.

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“…The study of transitional object use in adolescents may provide insight into their emotional states, wellbeing, and tendency to seek or avoid help for personal and emotional problems, and transitional objects may act as an easily observed marker for recognizing psychological distress in adolescents (Bachar et al, 1998). Winnicott (1953) believed the use of a transitional object to be a universal phenomenon, but some researchers have suggested that transitional object use is more prevalent in the West due to young children sleeping alone at younger ages (Applegate, 1989;Hong & Townes, 1976) and needing a substitute for the caregiver. There has been limited research evidence in this area, with only one previous study considering transitional object usage in an Asian population.…”

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confidence: 99%

Transitional object use, attachment, and help‐seeking behaviour in Taiwanese adolescents

Stagg

2018

Asian J of Social Psycho

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Transitional object use is psychologically beneficial for young children, but research has suggested that maintaining transitional object use into middle childhood may be associated with negative behaviour. Little is known about the continuation of transitional object use into adolescence, and few studies have been conducted with non-Western populations. To examine differences in attachment and attitudes to help seeking in adolescents who did and did not use a transitional object, 723 adolescents from Taiwan (M age = 14 years) were asked about their current and past use of transitional objects. Measures of attachment were obtained using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, and attitude toward help was measured using the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale. In total, 37% of the sample continued transitional object use in adolescence. Current use of a transitional object differentiated the sample on the measures of attachment and help seeking. Transitional object users were less likely to have secure attachments and less likely to express positive attitudes toward seeking help. Transitional object use is prevalent in Taiwanese adolescents, and we suggest that continued use of a transitional object acts as an indicator of potential withdrawal from support offered in schools.

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The transitional object reconsidered: Some sociocultural variations and their implications

Cited by 14 publications

References 17 publications

Prevalence of transitional objects in young children in Tokyo and New York

Prevalence of transitional objects in young children in Tokyo and New York

Transitional Objects: A Review of the Literature

Transitional object use, attachment, and help‐seeking behaviour in Taiwanese adolescents

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