John Bowlby And Mary Ainsworth'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).

Precious is a movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire (Daniels and Fletcher, 2008). It is on the life of an illiterate 16 year old African American girl, Claireece “Precious” Jones. (Natividad, 2010). I have applied John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Erik Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development on the film. These theories helped identify an understanding of the characters, family group, and community in the film. I have primarily assessed Precious as the chosen character. This paper will analyze the many factors in assessing her human behavior.

John Bowlby had worked with residential school children as a volunteer early on in his career and had determined that the children who suffered the most from anger outbursts, aggressivity, and whom her termed “affectionless” were also the children who had suffered the most maternal deprivation (). Bowlby advanced that the loss of the mother figure was extremely distressing and damaging and could influence adults' behavior years later. Hence, where psychoanalysis had been concerned “solely with the imaginings of the childish mind, the fantasied pleasures and the dreaded retributions” (Fonagy), Bowlby showed that humans do not develop in a void or as “individual monads” but as members of interacting systems. Bowlby developed his theory on attachment for several decades, and at a time where any dealings with childhood trauma were still rigorously influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis through the likes of psychoanalysts such Anna Freud or Melanie Klein. Even Winnicott was “revulsed” upon reading Bowlby's papers (siegel). It certainly was a bitter pill to swallow for psychoanalysts who had been repeating since Freud that the newborn was a little tyrant fighting for oral gratification at the mother's breast and merely clinging on to fulfil sexual instinctual needs. Bowlby's work was thus eschewed for a considerable time, despite his involvement with the World Health Organisation and the considerable empirical weight that was added to his findings by Mary Ainsworth's studies in

John Bowlby’s work in attachment has been the foundation when determining the attcahments and bonds that a child and parent may experience (Webb, 2011). According to Bowlby, “attachment” is referring to a lasting, mutual bond of affection that is dependent on an individual or more than one person (Webb, 2011). Establishing a secure attachment during infancy and early childhood is an important task of a parent or a caregiver. Not all parents or caregivers can provide their child with a secure attachment at this important in life due to various reasons. Since parents are the main providers in their child’s development of attachment, their lives and history has a great influence on their children’s lives.

D1 – 1.1 & 1.2 The attachment theory was examined by theorists' john Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. They both examined the impact of attachment and how it affected behavior. "Bowlby believed that attachment behaviors were inherent survival mechanisms designed to protect an infant or child from predators." He theorised that children who have a secure attachment with their parents or caretaker, as Bowlby said 'were more likely survive into adulthood'. However, children who have abusive parent or doesn't have the needed attachment with the caretaker then the child will struggle to form a relationship in the future.

After the death of my husband, I have watched my children grapple with grief. At times it seems as if they are in a tug-of-war with God. Losing a loved one has always been a part of life and eventually everyone will go through a time when they will have to grapple with grief. The death of a father at any age can be devastating, but when children lose their father at a young age their feelings of security disappear. If children lose their attachment to their father they are left wondering if they can even trust to put that attachment somewhere else due to the fear of losing it again. Children grieve differently than adults.

There is a critical period during infancy known as attachment, the emotional and physiological closeness between an infant and their caregiver, which facilitates the maturation of the brain systems. Such brain systems are involved in self-regulatory abilities like attention, behavioral and emotions management, etc. When an infant is unable to control these abilities then they will depend on attentive adults (caregivers), to help regulate their needs. Researchers, Schore & Schore (2008), explicates the expansion of John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (1969). Ordinarily, Bowlby's Theory, suggests that as the infant develops cognitively, the extent of attachment will shift with the caregiver’s attentiveness to the child’s needs. The expansion of Bowlby’s

Susanna starts her journey when her parents sent her to a therapist because of her fatal suicide. The doctor concluded Susanna with: “Severe depression and hopelessness and suicidal ideas” (Kaysen 13) which sent her to McLean Hospital. Some may claim that Susanna’s parents made the right choice of sending her to McLean since she was depressed and tried to commit suicide it would be the only rational explanation for her parents to do. Susanna did needed help however her parents were selfish and imprudent. This was during the 1960s, and Susanna parents were wealthy, respected, and diplomatic people.

Attachment theory would be the theory that best connects with my family policy Child Custody. Attachment theory states that a strong emotional and physical attachment to at least one primary caregiver is critical to personal development. John Bowlby first coined the term as a result of his studies involving the developmental psychology of children from various backgrounds. Attachment theory is the foundational theory in developmental research, relying on the work of Bowlby and Ainsworth.

In contradiction to the behavioral theory that stated that a child’s attachment to his/her mother was a set of learned behaviors centered around who fed the child, J. Bowlby introduced the attachment theory (McLeod, 2009). According to Bowlby, an infant’s attachment to his/her primary caregiver will be the secure protective base from which s/he will explore his/her world (Lee, 2003). He believed that children are born biologically ready to form attachments in order to survive. Their behaviors elicit responses from caregivers, not to solely get food, but care. He observed that when separated from the mother,

John Bowlby, a British psychiatrist, known for his work with the “attachment theory” and joint work with Mary Ainsworth, an American-Canadian psychologist. His theory: “the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment.”

John Bowlby’s attachment theory established that an infant’s earliest relationship with their primary caregiver or mother shaped their later development and characterized their human life, “from the cradle to the grave” (Bowlby, 1979, p. 129). The attachment style that an infant develops with their parent later reflects on their self-esteem, well-being and the romantic relationships that they form. Bowlby’s attachment theory had extensive research done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the mother-infant interactions specifically regarding the theme of an infant’s exploration of their surrounding and the separation from their mother in an experiment called the strange situation. Ainsworth defined the four attachment styles: secure,

Bowlby stated that an attachment relationship has survival value because it ensures that the infant will receive nurturance. The relationship is built by repetitive behavior patterns that the child acquires from his parents like crying smiling and eye contact, and other behaviors he gets from caregivers. We will be reviewing three

Attachment I feel is a very influential element to establish from the beginning of life. As a mom it happened the moment I found out I was pregnant. Not all moms have this feeling but what a bond I have established with my daughter. From day one we began the journey of trust, love, and reliability. I feel I had a lack of this bond with my mother, so I have tried to break the cycle and make it better with my daughter.

John Bowlby a British psychiatrist was the first to apply the idea of attachment theory. He defines it as the bond between infant and caregiver. The quality of the attachment to the caregiver has deep implications for the child’s feelings of safety and capacity to form trusting relationships. (Berk, 2013) Attachment theory is defined as “a continuing affectionate bond that ties a person to another, over time and across space,” and gives the infant feelings of safety, sanctuary, and protection, it provides a safe base from which to explore the world.