Theories Of Attachment

Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment after extensive research suggests that emotional bonds had evolutionary functions as he thought it helped a child’s survival. Attachment behaviours in both babies and their caregivers have evolved through natural selection, so the way they behave causes the infants to be biologically programmed with innate behaviours that ensures that attachment does occur. These innate species-specific attachment behaviours are social releasers i.e crying, vocalising and smiling.

Attachment theory was created by John Bowlby in the late 1930’s (McLeod, 2009). He came up with this theory when he was working with children in London at a psychiatric clinic (McLeod, 2009). The children he was working with were emotionally disturbed and needed much help (McLeod, 2009). It was this experience that led Bowlby to consider the importance of the relationship between the child and the parent (emotionally and cognitively) (McLeod, 2009). More specifically, he was able to theorize that there might be a link between early infant separations with the mother and later maladjustment, which would lead Bowlby to create his attachment theory (McLeod, 2009).

Bowlby worked for many years as a child psychoanalyst so was clearly very influenced by Freud’s theories and child development. However, he also liked the work of Lorenz on the innate nature of bonds through imprinting and combined these two very different ideas to produce his own evolutionary theory of attachments. Bowlby believed that attachment is innate and adaptive. We are all born with an inherited need to form attachments and this is to help us survive. In line with Darwin’s theory of natural selection, any behaviour that helps you

The Development of Attachment Theory and Its Strengths and Limitations English psychiatrist John Bowlby is a leading and influential figure within the history of social reform. His work has influenced social work policies and legislation relating to child psychiatry and psychology. Bowlby was trained as a psychoanalyst, and was influenced by Freudians theories, but became influenced again in his attachment theory by the work of ethologists. The ethologists theory concentrates on looking at the role parents play rather than only the child. Bowlby believes that parenting has strong ties with biology and it explains why there are such strong emotions attached.

Bowlby believed that babes had have built in social releasers that help form attachment, for example, crying and smiling. These would stimulate responses in caregivers. Bowlby also suggested that the infant would form only one primary attachment, and that this attachment would act as a secure base for exploring the world. This theory was also backed up by Mary Ainsworth ‘The Strange Situation’, Eysenck (2000). Another conclusion in Bowlbys attachment theory was that there was a sensitive period; a period were imprinting was important. This would affect attachment and have lifelong consequences. He

Bowlby defined attachment as “a lasting psychological integration bounded by human beings” (Bowlby, 1969, p.194). However, attachment can also be described as a strong, mutual, emotional connection or relationship formed between two people, mostly between infant and its caregiver. According to Macoby (1988) attachment has four key characteristics which are: proximity; where an infant always want to stay near the attached caregiver. Separation anxiety; is when the infant is distressed when separated from the caregiver. Pleasure, when the infant and the caregiver feel pleasure at reunion and lastly frequent contact; where the infant is always conscious of the caregiver and desire to be in contact with caregiver.

An attachment is a strong emotional connection in which animals, and people, depend on each other for a sense of security. Attachment is not always reciprocal and is characterized by specific behaviours in children such as seeking proximity to the attachment figure when upset or threatened (Bowlby 1969.) Within the context of child psychology, attachment is the strong bond which forms in early years of life between babies and their primary carers. This concept helps explain development and personality.

The formation of the attachment bond offers comfort, security, and nourishment, but Bowlby noted

A psychoanalyst, John Bowlby, developed the attachment theory in 1969 after examining the intense distress that infants exhibited when separated from their parents. His observations showed that babies would perform extraordinary acts to prevent separation or to re-establish proximity. Using ethological theory, Bowlby posited that attachment behaviours, like crying and frantic searching, can be described as adaptive responses during separation from a main attachment figure. Moreover, Bowlby asserted that in evolutionary history, infants who preserved proximity to an attachment figure through attachment behaviours increased their rate of survivability to the reproductive age.

Findings from animal studies were a powerful influence on Bowlby 's thoughts. He suggested too that there was a critical period for the development of attachments between infant and care giver. According to Bowlby, children display an innate tendency to become attached to one particular individual. He called this monotropy. He suggested this trend was qualitatively different from any subsequent attachment a child might form. However, he did not suggest monotropy was absolute but that the child has a hierarchy of attachments.

As humans, building relationships between others is a form of connecting and communicating. It is a social situation that is experienced every day through the course of a lifetime. The initial relationship that is made is between the mother and the child. This bond that connects two people is known to be called attachment. The theory of attachment begins at birth, and from that, continuing on to other relationships in family, friends, and romance. Attachment is taught through social experiences, however the relationship with the mother and her temperament are the key factors in shaping the infants attachment type, which

In Attachment and Loss, John Bowlby presents his evolutionary theory whereby a baby enters the world pre-programmed to form attachments to others in order to secure their survival. He examines the nature of the child’s tie to his mother when proposing his theory and frequently refers to the biological sciences in particular ethology, the study of animal behaviour. This was a somewhat revolutionary approach in the field of psychoanalysis and resulted in Bowlby being referred to as the father of attachment theory.

Many psychologists have come and gone, and many different theoretical orientations have been developed. With each orientation has come a new perspective on development, behaviour and mental processes. Some are similar, yet others could not be more contradictory. Attachment is one such theoretical orientation, developed by John Bowlby out of his dissatisfaction with other existing theories. Although Bowlby rejected psychoanalytical explanations for early infant bonds, the theory of attachment was influenced in part by the principles of psychoanalysis; in particular the observations by Ana Freud and Dorothy Burlingham of young children separated from

To begin with attachment theory, first everyone should understand what the attachment is. According to attachment means bonding between a child and caregiver or vice versa. The attachment theory is the theory that describes the long term interpersonal relationship between the humans. Also, it can be defined as the strong bond between parent and child, and later in peer and romantic relationship (Metzger, Erdman, Ng 85). It generates a specific fact that how the humans react in relationships when they get hurt, separated from loved ones and perceiving a threat. Basically the two main types of attachment are secure and insecure. Secure attachment is the attachments where mother and father are available for their child and during that time child demonstrates his or her stress and reestablish the connection (Metzger, Erdman, Ng 87). Insecure attachment is the attachment where parents are not regularly in touch with their children or they ignore their child which built a failed emotion communication (Metzger, Erdman, Ng 87). Also, it may be repeated from one generation to another until it is not recovered. However, as a result of attachment theory, it is so important for children to know about it and there are also several emotional effects on children when their parents leave to go to another county due to their connections or bond between them.

Attachment is love and affection. Mary Ainsworth (1989) defines attachment as an enduring emotional bond between one animal or person and another (Rathus & Longmuir, 2015, p. 99). According to John Bowlby, attachment is essential to the survival of the infant (Bowlby, 1988). He notes that the newborns are born with behaviors such as crying, smiling, clinging that encourages caregiving from adults (Rathus & Longmuir, 2015, p. 99).