Bowlby's Attachment Theory

Perhaps the most influential explanation of attachment was presented by John Bowlby who began developing his ideas in the 1940s. Bowlby was commissioned by the World Health Organisation to investigate whether young children were likely to be harmed if they are separated from their mothers in the early years. (Hayes, 1996). Bowlby (1951) reported that infants possesses an innate need to attach to one main attachment figure (this was usually the mother). According to Hayes (1996), this is a special relationship which is qualitatively different from the relationship they form with any other kind of person. He described this as the process of monotropy; however, Bowlby did not deny that babies formed lots of attachments. (Bailey et al. 2008).

The Two-Track Model of Bereavement is a model that states loss is conceptualized along two axes. Track I pertains to the biopsychosocial functioning in the event of a loss and Track II pertains to the bereaved’s continued emotional attachment and relationship to whoever is deceased. The effect of Track I is seen through the bereaved’s functioning, including their anxiety, their self-esteem and self-worth, and their depressive affect and cognitions. Noting the ability of one to invest in life tasks after experiencing a loss indicates how they are responding to the loss of the deceased. This Track is seen as an expression similar to one of trauma, or crisis. Track II holds that the bereaved has difficulty physically separating from the deceased. This can be seen in emotional, interpersonal, or cognitive ways. It is shown through imagery and memories that the bereaved experiences surrounding the deceased, whether positive or negative, as well as the emotional distance from them. These pictures in the bereaved’s head explain both the cognitive and emotional view of the person who has died (Rubin, 1999).

The loss of an adult child is devastating, just as is the death of a younger child. However, there are differences as to how both the parents react to such losses. In this case the paper focuses on the loss of an adult child and how the parent copes with the situation. The paper will give insight into the situation that precedes the demise of the child such as the trajectory of illnesses. A review on how the parents deal with the loss after it occurs will be discussed as well as the various issues the parent faces. The impact on the parent after the child’s loss will also feature. There will be a summary of the findings, then a section that will give the implications of the research and its importance to the field of psychology, and finally an as well as focusing on the bigger picture of loss with older parents who have lost their children.

The child who died is considered a gift to the parents and family, and they are forced to give up that gift. Yet, as parents, they also strive to let their child's life, no matter how short, be seen as a gift to others. These parents seek to find ways to continue to love, honor, and value the lives of their children and continue to make the child's presence known and felt in the lives of family and friends. Bereaved parents often try to live their lives more fully and generously because of this painful experience.

Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space (Bowlby, 1969). Likewise, attachment theory is a psychological model that seeks to illustrate the dynamics of both long term and short- term interpersonal relationships (Waters, E.; Corcoran, D.; Anafarta, M. 2005). Additionally, attachment theory address how people respond within relationships when hurt, separated from loved ones, or when they perceive a threat (Waters et al., 2005). Attachment theory is the combined work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Bretherton, I. 1992, p. 1). The theory predominantly draws on the ideas from doctrines such as, ethology, cybernetics, information processing and developmental psychology (Bretherton, I. 1992, p. 1). It is considered that attachment theory has revolutionized the way society thinks about the relationship between the mother and her child and the importance of

The program will be based on the ATTEND model and Wolfelt’s 10 touchstones. Furthermore, this study will test the efficacy of this program in reducing the distressing symptoms associated with the loss of a child. This study will therefore address the following research questions: (1) Will the program be effective in treating symptoms commonly associated with grief?; (2) Will the grief-related symptoms remain decreased at the 6-month follow-up as compared to the pre-intervention?; (3) Will the gender of the participant impact the efficacy of the group in reducing grief-related symptoms? The following are the corresponding hypotheses: (1) participant’s level of grief-related symptoms will significantly decrease after the group, as evidence by a decrease in the scores on the IES-R and HSCL-25; (2) it is expected that the 6-month follow-up scores will not be significantly different than post-intervention scores, and will be significantly lower than pre-intervention scores; (3) there is no hypothesis given regarding gender differences, but it is a purpose of this study to explore the efficacy of this program in relation to gender

After interviewing the social workers Hope and Hodge (2006) found that they had observed similar patterns regarding the factors that affect the adjustment of children who lost a parent to death. Boys tend to show externalizing behaviors whereas girls tend to show internalizing behaviors due to the lost of a parent. They found that the cognitive level rather than the age of the child affects their adjustment more. Therefore younger children and preadolescents seem to have more difficulty adjusting to the death of a parent than adolescents. The results did not support earlier findings that sudden death present more difficulty adjusting than expected death. Most of the participants reported that sudden and expected death is equally traumatic to children. The participants also said that the adjustment of the caretaker is important for a positive adjustment for the children. The caretaker must be able to grieve while supporting the child’s need to grieve. This study shows that children of different ages and genders react different to the death of a parent.

Kelley (2009) states “an international study of 77 leading bereavement specialists revealed that attachment theory and a psychodynamic model are their preferred conceptual models for understanding the process of grieving”. Unfortunately, the area of attachment to God is still mostly unexplored. John Bowlby first introduced research in “attachment theory” due to observational studies of young children and their attachment to their parents. Kelley (2009) states “Bowlby maintains that attachment behavior is an instinctual and a constitutive dimension of being human and endures throughout the lifespan”.

Bowlby’s attachment theory has significant and practical implications for education, human service workers, teachers and administrators while observing young children at risk of delinquency. This can be informing teachers and administrators the importance of attachment levels, as well as training them how to raise attachment levels. Teachers and administrators need to understand that attachment, crime, and developmental success are interconnected. The students must become attached before any other academic or disciplinary advances can be made (Boyle, 2014).

In order for a continuous bond to arise there must be an existing attachment prior to the individual’s death. John Bowlby (1969, cited in Field, et al., 2005) created the attachment theory which was able to demonstrate that a child develops an attachment with their primary caregiver i.e. mother. Bowlby (1969) founded that children experienced distress when they were separated from their primary caregiver which showed that physical proximity was a prominent factor in the child’s sense of security. According to Field, et al., (2005) attachment bonds between adults are seen to be different from child-parent bonds, in that physical proximity was less of importance. However the ability to respond to emotional needs was a higher factor in adult bonds because both individuals could act as an attachment figure to each other. Drawing upon this theory, if an individual died within a relationship, the

The recovery process for Marilyn is complicated due to the unanticipated death of a family member and the residual grief that exists from her father’s death. Counseling should be implemented to facilitate Marilyn’s healing process. Marilyn has lost a son which is very dramatic for any individual. Feeling responsible for a child’s safety and well-being is a normal process. However, feelings of guilt and powerlessness can permeate the healing process and complicate grief when a child dies (Matzo & Sherman, 2015). A therapist who specializes in grief counseling could address some of Marilyn’s unique circumstances surrounding her son’s death, thus allowing her to move from chaos to

A social relationship is defined as an interaction between two or more individuals, groups or organizations. The first relationship ever experienced is the family relationship. According to John Bowlby’s attachment theory, the patterns of attachment from our earliest relationships forms the type of attachments in our future relationships. This theory is meant to describe and explain people’s patterns of relationship from birth to death. It provides not only a framework for understanding emotional reactions in infants, but also a structure for understanding love, loneliness and grief in adults.

Attachment theory in psychology originates with the seminal work of John Bowlby (1958) who was a child psychiatrist who treated many emotionally disturbed children. This led Bowlby to formulate his attachment theory. Working with James Robertson (1952) they observed that children experienced distress when they were separated from their mothers, this anxiety did not dissipate even when an additional caregiver fed the child. The theory suggests that children come into the world pre-programmed to form attachments with others because this will help them to survive. He viewed the first three years as a very sensitive period

An individual’s attachment style is conceived as a personality trait which is stable across the individual’s life span. Attachment is seen as a categorical model where individuals are either securely, avoidant or anxiously attached to others. Several studies have indicated how individuals treat attachment-related thoughts is related to their attachment style and governs how they cope with and express the loss of a loved one. When compared with secure and anxious attached adults, avoidant attachment style adults are less concerned with attachment to others. Anxious attachment style adults are worried about loss and will be hyper vigilant to relationship distress.

The loss of an adult child is devastating just as is the death of a younger child. However, there are differences as to how both the parents react to such losses. In this case the paper focuses on loss of an adult child and how the parent copes with the situation. The paper will give insight on the situation that precedes the demise of the child such as trajectory of illnesses which is more recent. A review on how the parents deal with the loss after it occurs will be discussed as well as the various issues the parent faces. The impact on the parent after the child’s loss is also featured. There will be a summary of the findings then finally a section that will give the implications of the research and its importance to the field of psychology and an improvement in human beings