Disruption of Attachment Due to Separation & Loss

Author

Institution

Introduction

The importance of family cannot be gainsaid as far as the growth and development of an individual is concerned. It tends to shape the individual and has a bearing on the traits, values, likes and preferences that he or she has in life. Needless to say, separation of an individual from his or her family has devastating effects on their psychosocial development. Studies show that disruptions of bonding and attachment can have adverse impacts on the psychological and emotional development. In fact, family loss and separation experiences have been shown as risk factors for the development of problems with one’s mental health both in childhood, as well as adulthood. While temperament, experiences and biology play crucial roles, children who have experienced interruptions in relationships with their families, caregivers or parents are a higher likelihood to incorporate compromised mental health. The trauma associated separation and loss mainly depends on the circumstances within which the separation or loss has occurred. In instances where a child is separated from his family or permanently loses it through care placement, the chronic nature of the separation, the age of the child, as well as the trauma with which it is associated are shown to significantly determine the impact of the separation on the psychological or mental health of the child. Volumes of literature have been written, and numerous movies produced trying to depict the impact of separation or with their main theme as family loss and separation. This is the case for the 2002 movie Rabbit Proof Fence.

Set in the 30’s, the movie revolves around the lives of two sisters Molly and Daisy and their cousin named Gracie. It was at a time of social and political unrest when Aborigine kids would be forcibly separated from their parents and taken to white families, who apparently could bring them up. After being brought up in the detention centres, they would be married off to white people so as to eliminate this ‘unwanted race”. The three girls were captured and taken off to the Moore River Settlement Camp. However, they made a daring escape from the camp and followed a 1500 mile Rabbit Proof Fence that acted as their guide on the route home. They never managed to reach back home to their parents as Gracie was tricked that her mom was waiting for her at a train station, after which she was recaptured while looking for the mother. At the epilogue of the movie, Molly informs the audience that Gracie is dead and outlines varied episodes of recapturing, as well as separation from her kids.

Varied loss events have been illustrated in the film. At the beginning, the three girls are taken away from their mother and grandmother, as well as the place that they called home. They are taken to Moore River Settlement Camp where they undergo physical and emotional torture.

Once they decide to escape, an Aboriginal traveler sets them up for recapture, in which case they are separated again. Gracie is recaptured after she goes to meet her mother at the train station ash she had been lied to that the mother was waiting for her.

Other episodes of separation are outlined at the epilogue of the movie, where Molly States that she and her two daughters were taken back to the settlement camp. However, she managed to escape from the camp with one daughter (Annabel), in which case she separates from one of them. Later on, Annabel was taken away from her when she was only three years old, a separation from which Molly has never set her eyes on her daughter again.

However, the first episode of separation sticks out as the most traumatic for the children. They have already established a relationship with their parents and guardians, a bond that is severed by the separation. It is worth noting that the three kids are in different stages of growth. Daisy and Gracie are aged 8 and 10 respectively, in which case they are in the latency stage of psychosocial development. Molly is 14 years old, falling under the adolescence, a time when she needs to gain her own identity. Studies show that the children at the latency stage would have low self-esteem and self-confidence in the event of separation from their parents. They are also bound to distrust everybody. However, children at the adolescent stage tend to be relatively independent. This does not undermine the fact that they would also have low self-esteem and even be unable to form friendships and even socialize with others. They would also be angry at the “outside world” and become impulsive, an aspect that is seen with Molly when she crafts the plan to escape from the camp.

On the same note, the trauma and grief of separation seems to have hardened Molly to the outside world. Scholars note that children in that age are bound to be independent. In instances where they are facing any hindrance from their parents, they are bound to become rebellious in an effort to assert their independence. This is the case for Molly who wishes to assert her independence to the hostile world that has attempted to shape her destiny and incarcerate her in a camp against her wishes.

In addition, such separation breeds mistrust of other people in children. They tend to label the outside world a foe that cannot be trusted, in which case they would have problems adjusting in the outside world. Molly and the other girls have this problem and find it hard to adjust to life in the camp or even socialize with other Aboriginal kids in the camp. Instead, such kids tend to stick to what is familiar, as seen in the case of Daisy and Gracie who cling onto Molly once they get to the camp. This is also seen when Molly comes up with the plan to escape from the camp. Daisy is reluctant to follow Molly stating that she already liked it there. This is because she has already established some element of familiarity with the camp and is fearful of what the unfamiliar world to which Molly wants to introduce her holds.

Scholars note that the effects of such separation would be compounded in instances where such kids are subjected to multiple episodes of separation, as is the case for Molly, Daisy and Gracie. However, this trauma can be rectified by allowing the kids to grow in a relatively stable environment, where they gradually learn to trust the people around them. The advantage in this case is that they are kids, yet to explore much of the outside world, in which case they are bound to come across varied episodes that would restore their confidence in the outside world, as long as they are not under any pressure from any quarter.

Attachment refers to the emotional and social relationships that children develop with individuals who are significant in their lives. This process is composed of interactions between the child and his primary caregiver, starting at birth and assisting the child in the intellectual development perceptions organization, logical thinking, conscience development, self-reliance, development of coping mechanisms, as well as the formation of intimate and healthy relationships. Varied elements of attachment are identified. When the girls are separated from their guardians (mother and grandmother), they become extremely distressed, as shown by their cries of anguish and their determination to be reunited with their primary caregiver. Their determination to go back shows that they had an extremely healthy attachment with their caregivers, a notion that is cemented by the joy they exhibit after being reunited. In Molly’s case, it is evident that her character is a testament to the attachment that she has with her parents. She takes the position of a mother or guardian when they are separated from their parents while acknowledging that she was the oldest of the three and was, therefore, in charge of their security. In addition, positive attachment is seen to have shaped the relationship she creates an emotional bond with the two younger girls choosing to make a daring escape from the camp so as to save them. It is worth noting that her emotional attachment to her mother and granny is what drives her during the long journey home, despite the challenges and the traps. The trust that she had learnt from her parents had imbued a sense of security in her, in which case she looks at the world as secure. This is what drives her to seek help from strangers after escaping from the camp despite the fact that she knew that her captors were after them. These girls exhibit no element of insecure attachment to their primary caregivers. In fact, they strive to get back to their primary caregivers, driven by their strong, secure and emotional attachment, a fact that is cemented by the excitement that they exhibit when they see them again.

Molly in the developmental (Eriksonian) stage of middle childhood

Molly is 14 years old as at the time of the film, an adolescent stage characterized by a desire for one’s own identity vs. role confusion. At this stage, an individual’s development is dependent on the actions of an individual, in which case the person must struggle to find his true identity and negotiate social interactions. Adolescents at this stage start developing strong affiliations, as well as devotion to friends, causes and ideals. In their effort to find their identity, they are bound to be highly aggressive, and exhibit extreme physical strength. These aspects are clearly evident in Molly’s case as seen when she captures a wild animal, as well as her confidence in getting back to her people.

In my opinion, Molly negotiated the adolescent stage as a highly emotive, physically energetic, as well as aggressive child trying to establish her true identity. Her defiance even in the face of danger from her captors could be interpreted as one of the efforts she makes to establish her true identity. It is worth noting that this assertion becomes her character, as seen in the prologue where she recounts that she was recaptured and taken in the same detention camp and managed to escape by following the same rabbit-proof fence. In essence, she has established her identity as a non-conformist, something that she carries on to her adulthood. In fact, she states in the prologue that she is never going back to “that place”. This non-conformist attitude is also seen at their time of escape, when Daisy tells her that she already likes it in the camp, to which Molly tells her that that is not their home.

It is worth noting that, during the first time of her capture with her sisters, she was aged 14 years old. The developmental stage of middle childhood is characterized by high levels of emotions, aggression, self-absorption, as well as preoccupation with oneself as the adolescent would be beginning to have a sense of self (Caye et al, 1996).

In addition, scholars note that individuals in this stage are faced by the need to reestablish their boundaries for themselves, something that is usually done in a potentially hostile world. This is evident in Molly’s life right from the time of capture. The society has determined that she should become “white” or adopt their ways, something that she detests and chooses to run away from the camp in spite of the difficulties that lie ahead. She has determined that she wants to adopt the ways of her people and strives to follow up on this aspect.

Role of aboriginal culture in Molly’s life in the context of human behavior and the social environment

The ethnic background of an individual was thought to have little or no effect on the behavior of an individual. In fact, the behavior of a child used to be interpreted in the context of religion, gender and other factors (Crain, 2011). However, recent literature and studies have cemented the role that society plays in shaping the behavior of a child. Scholars note that not only does an ethnic group’s culture affect the development of an individual or child, but it also determines the kind of treatment he or she receives (Crain, 2011). In cases where the ethnicity of an individual is the basis for his or her being shunned away or being discriminated, the individual would be resentful, as well as aggressive. In most cases, such people tend to congregate into protective groups (Caye et al, 1996). Evidently, the Aboriginal society has influenced Molly’s behavior in a tremendous way. It goes without saying that the aggressiveness even in the face of difficulties are the result of the betrayal that she has gotten from the society, which has failed to accept her as she is and instead forced her to change and become more white.

In addition, she must have learnt about the importance of family and community at large. She was brought up in an environment where everyone looked after the other people, as seen by her behavior of caring for Daisy and Gracie. In fact, she seems to have stepped in her caregivers’ shoes when they are captured and looks after Daisy and Gracie, not to mention the fact that she takes it as her responsibility to rescue them and deliver them home. This is a behavior that she learned from her community as imparted to her by her primary caregivers.

On the same note, Molly is unwilling to let go of her culture and beliefs as demanded by the assimilation programs. She strongly believes in acknowledging and accepting one’s culture, something that she has learnt from her community. Evidently, these aspects have been imparted in her through her attachment to her parents and caregivers. Attachment theory mainly concentrates on the bond that exists between parents and their kids. It could explain the devotion and determination that Molly has towards her people and in getting herself and the siblings back to the parents that she knew.

References

Caye, J., McMahon, J., Norris, T., & Rahija, L. (1996). Effects of separation and loss on attachment. Chapel Hill: School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Crain, W (2011). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education