Introduction
Theorists and researchers in the humanities and social sciences have conducted various studies to understand behavior and relationships. An integral concern for such psycho-sociological concepts has been the increase of false positives, leading to a paradigm shift in 2011, where researchers are using larger online samples (Sassenberg & Ditrich, 2019). The rationale for the change is to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the concepts while using inexpensive methodologies. Many topics have caught the interest of researchers, including human growth, emotional attachment, culture and traditions, and the impacts of digitalization. The current paper aims to apply the concept of attachment to a cultural artifact, Toy Story 2.
Cultural Artifact: Toy Story 2 in Brief
One cultural artifact that illustrates the developmental psychological concept of attachment is the movie Toy Story 2. The movie starts with Woody and Buzz preparing for the cowboy camp. However, while they are playing, Woody’s arm is ripped, necessitating leaving him behind. Woody is stolen and ends up in an apartment with other toys, including Jessie, Stinky Pete, and Bullseye (Lasseter, 1999).
They soon learn that all the toys will be sold in a faraway museum in Japan. The result is that Woody is anxious because he wants to be with Andy. Meanwhile, two search groups, one led by Andy and the other by Buzz, end up in the AI’s house (Lasseter, 1999). Pete tries to sabotage Andy’s escape, and they even get to the airport. In the end, Woody manages to escape and reunite with Andy while the other toys board the plane to Japan. Throughout the movie, there are various social concepts of attachment.
Research in Social Psychological Concepts
There are many social psychological concepts, but this paper focuses on attachment. For instance, one of the concepts that interests modern theorists is attachment in light of the changing world order. One study investigated the impact of technoscience on the attachment level of children and their parents (Zayia et al., 2021).
Digital gadgets cause significant disruptions to interpersonal relationships. For instance, when parents spend too much time with their technology, it affects how children develop the social skills required for establishing healthy interactions with others (Zayia et al., 2021). Understanding such concepts helps provide appropriate psychoeducation to help people change their behavior.
According to Bowlby’s attachment theory, infants form an attachment with their primary caregiver, usually the mother, through social referencing. This attachment is a basis for the individual’s future relationships and influences their behavior. Safe attachment is only possible when there is a secure base, haven, proximity maintenance, and separation distress (Sincero, n.d.).
An inability to have a secure attachment during childhood results in poor attachment during adulthood (Girme et al., 2021). The implication is that understanding how children’s attachment is affected during earlier developmental milestones may help to prepare them for the future (Chapter 16). Notably, the success of making a child with ambivalent, avoidant, and other insecure attachments is higher with young people than with adults.
Thus, studies on attachment concepts help nurture secure relationships with children. Studies have shown that attachment affects an individual’s behavior in various ways. For instance, it influences their trust level, ability to regulate their emotions, and social skills (Venezia, 2023).
Attachment has also been applied in real-world settings, such as in education. Teachers with a secure attachment to their students are more likely to create a positive learning environment and foster better academic outcomes. The implication is that people must understand their attachment styles and try to adjust and influence good associations with others.
The other interesting concept is psycho-cultural influences on media and creative works. Particularly, researchers are interested in understanding how cultural experience influences social structures of pleasure, performance, and power (Cross, 2021). Through such studies, it is possible to understand the mechanisms involved in creating meaning in social associations. For instance, the more society embraces digitalization, the higher the chances of fewer physical interactions and one-on-one communication (Zavia et al., 2021). The result is a power divide because the adults have the technology, and young children may not have the privilege to form meaningful relationships, leading to insecure attachment styles.
There are many ways in which I connect to the studies on psychosocial concepts of attachment and culture. Given that I am human, I have gone through the developmental stages of childhood, adolescence, and now adulthood. I realize that the culture of parents concentrating more on their gadgets affected my attachment style, as there were times when I felt neglected.
Moreover, some of the insecurities I adopted as a child tend to affect my attachment to romantic relationships. For instance, I can focus so much on social media when having one-on-one conversations. Thus, such research is essential to help me understand my behavior and make positive changes.
Application of the Attachment Concept to the Movie
Applying psychosocial concepts and theories to cultural artifacts has a long tradition. For instance, Sigmund Freud used the poems of William Shakespeare to formulate key ideas of the psychoanalytic theory (Cross, 2022). Likewise, Toy Story 2 is instrumental in understanding key concepts of Bowlby’s attachment theory. For instance, when Woody gets stolen by a toy collector, he realizes that he has a new owner, a toy museum owner named Al.
Woody becomes conflicted between his loyalty to Andy and his attachment to his fellow toys in the museum. This scenario illustrates the concept of attachment and how it influences an individual’s behavior. Attachment is a concept in developmental psychology that refers to the emotional bond between an individual and a significant other. This bond is formed during infancy and is crucial for development.
Notably, in Toy Story 2, Woody’s attachment to Andy and the other toys in the museum affects his behavior throughout the movie. His loyalty to Andy is evident when he tries to escape from the museum to go back to his owner. However, his attachment to the other museum toys makes him realize he is responsible for them. This conflict between loyalty and attachment is a common scenario in real-world settings, such as a workplace, where employees may have to choose between loyalty to their employer and attachment to their colleagues.
The last reunion between Woody and Andy exemplifies an ambivalent attachment that the former has developed following the injuries, attachments at the AI’s house, and almost going to the museum. With ambivalent attachment, there is often deep sorrow when there is separation and an inability to rely on the caregiver (Sincero, n.d.). Likewise, Woody feels that he cannot rely on Andy or the AI as a caregiver, causing a mixture of emotions. Andy ripped off his arm, accidentally causing him pain.
In attachment, when the primary caregiver causes pain to the child, a mixture of mistrust develops, forming ambivalent emotions. Woodly is loyal to Andy, but now he finds a haven at the AI’s house because there are many toys that he can play with. There is also the issue of proximity maintenance in that when Andy is not around, he attaches to those present. Woody starts being anxious when he learns they will be sold to a Japanese museum.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the movie Toy Story 2 is an excellent example of how attachment influences an individual’s behavior and can create conflicts between loyalty and attachment. This concept is a crucial aspect of an individual’s development, affecting their behavior in various ways. It has been studied extensively in developmental psychology and applied in real-world settings. Applying psychological concepts to such cultural artifacts is a good way to learn about human behavior and offer psychoeducation that promotes positive change.
References
Chapter 16 Adolescence 2 – Human Growth and Development: Adolescent Cognitive, Moral, and Identity Formation.
Cross, K. (2022). Toy story and the inner world of the child: Animation, play, and creative life. Taylor & Francis.
Girme, Y. U., Jones, R. E., Fleck, C., Simpson, J. A., & Overall, N. C. (2021). Infants’ attachment insecurity predicts attachment-relevant emotion regulation strategies in adulthood. American Psychological Association, 21(2), 260.
Lasseter, J. (1999). Toy Story 2 [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Sassenberg, K., & Ditrich, L. (2019). Research in social psychology changed between 2011 and 2016: Larger sample sizes, more self-report measures, and more online studies. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 2(2), 107-114. Web.
Sincero, S. (n.d.). Bowlby’s attachment theory. Explorable. Web.
Venezia, V. (2023). Attachment theory in relationships: Useful tools to increase stability and build happy and lasting bonds. A journey from childhood to adulthood. Taylor & Francis.
Zayia, D., Parris, L., McDaniel, B., Braswell, G., & Zimmerman, C. (2021). Social learning in the digital age: Associations between technoference, mother-child attachment, and child social skills. Journal of School Psychology, 87, 64-81. Web.