Attachment Relationships in Religious Jewish Families with Many Children in Israel

Attachment theory is predicated upon an assumption of exclusive dyadic relationships between a child and a primary adult caregiver, that emerge during the first years of life. It is based on ideals sourced in the Western middle-class culture that sees the mother as the major attachment figure. Studies are lacking to assess the relational networks in families who differ from this western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic model. The present study is, therefore, aimed to fill this gap by examining attachment relationships between a one-year-old child with his parents and siblings in Israeli, Jewish religious families with five children or more.

Participants are speaking members of five families that lead a religious Jewish orthodox life-style. Data collection takes place in the family’s home. Children and parents are asked to draw their family and are individually interviewed. The semi-structured interview comprises of ten open-ended questions on family values, socialization ideas, views on the ideal child development within a big family and family relationship network of the one-year-old child.

Preliminary results show that the relationship network of a one-year-old with many siblings is multi-layered. The mother is important as a primary caregiver, to a similar extend than the father and older siblings. The tasks involved in raising a child are shared by many members of the family. These tasks are self-evident to all family members.

This study contributes to a cultural inclusive attachment theory and is significant implications for clinical and educational practice.