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Attachment Theory In The 1940s And 1950's

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The term "attachment theory" refers to a psychological framework that describes the nature of interpersonal attachment in different attachment styles. It was created by British psychiatrist and psychologist John Bowlby and subsequently developed by developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth. According to the hypothesis, ties with parents and other significant caregivers throughout early childhood have a lasting impact on how people behave in future relationships throughout their lives. In the 1940s and 1950s, when Bowlby observed the adverse effects of maternal deprivation on infants and was influenced by Konrad Lorenz's ethological views, Bowlby first developed his thoughts regarding attachment. Bowlby felt that a child's survival depended …show more content…

A "safe haven" is the person or location that a person seeks out when they feel threatened or upset in order to find solace and security. For instance, when feeling frightened or overwhelmed, a kid may seek solace from their caregiver. Positive experiences of being soothed and safeguarded can help to enhance this feeling of safety and security. A "secure base" is a person or location that a person feels offers a stable basis for exploring their surroundings and the rest of the world. For instance, when a kid is aware that their caregiver is there to offer assistance and protection if necessary, they may feel secure and confident in their capacity to explore and play. People can feel comfortable and secure in their relationships and their capacity to get around in the world thanks to this solid base. The term "proximity maintenance" describes people's propensity to seek out their attachment figures' physical and emotional closeness, particularly when they feel threatened or upset. This may entail requesting consolation and assurance from the attachment figure or even wishing to be near them physically. The distress or anxiety that people feel when they are removed from their attachment figures is referred to as …show more content…

These effects could look like an increased risk of mental health difficulties like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These conditions have been associated with an insecure attachment style (Ford & Li, 2017). Additionally, insecure attachment has been linked to a number of physical health issues, including cardiovascular disease, persistent pain, and digestive issues (Felitti et al., 1998). Another possible impact of insecure attachment in early relationships could be interpersonal issues. People with insecure attachment may find it challenging to establish and sustain good relationships with others as well as to trust, be intimate with, and feel attached to others (Levy & Orlans, 2003). Furthermore, insecure attachments are believed to increase the chance of developing substance abuse and addiction issues (Chung, Bernstein, & Ross, 2018). And, cognitive function has been shown to be affected by insecure attachment as well. This could look like, memory, attention, and executive function issues, as well as an increased likelihood of developing learning and behavioral issues (De Bellis & Kuchibhatla,

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It can result in attachment difficulties, trauma, physical health problems and learning

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Attachment theory states that either secure or insecure bonds may form between infant and mother in the first several months of the infant’s life for the purposes of safety and security. The bond formed between infant and mother influences the quality of the relationships a child has throughout his or her life. One major reasoning of the attachment theory is that the parents are a sanctuary of safety throughout all of early childhood. Insecure attachments promote feelings of threat, rejection, and personal unworthiness. This can also be the explanation for the dream children stashing food away because of the possible threat that there,” will come a time when they will not be fed” (Smith 99).Unhealthy attachments not only lead to poor caregiver-child relationships, but can also cause a dysfunctional self-development, defective relationships, substance abuse problems, and educational difficulties.

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What is the attachment theory? , The attachment theory is a

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The Attachment Theory, for example, claims, "humans have the propensity to establish strong emotional bonds with others, and when individuals have some loss or emotional distress, they act out as a result of their loneliness and isolation". The emotional bond that connects the children and their caregiver are critical to the advancement of an internal working model. In Wuornos' case, granted her parents' abandonment and her grandparent’s sexual and physical abuse, she was incapable of forming a solid foundation of trust. It becomes more apparent following her disclosure of developing a sexual relationship with her older brother at a young

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Bowlby, Harlow, and Ainsworth each had unique positions on infant attachment and adult relationships. All three researchers pointed out that children become attached or unattached depending on the amount and type of love and affection they receive from birth. Each had a different way of creating their study. Harlow used baby monkeys taken from their mothers and replacing mom with either a metal or a terry cloth covered mom.

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Cindy Hazan and Philip Shaver in 1980 were able to move the theory of attachment and children into developed theories of attachment on adulthood relationships. They found that even in cases of adults a strong attachment is still very important, Hazan and Shaver (1980) concluded that a balance intimacy with independence within a relationship is best, if the attachment was too strong both parties would be over dependent, and if the attachment was weak there would be a lack of intimacy with feeing of inadequacy (Hazan and Shaver, 1980). Many past findings have suggested that secure attachment is related to high levels of self-esteem; such is found evident in Wilkinson (2004) research about the role of parental and peer attachment in the psychological

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In 1969, John Bowlby made the connection that formed relationships and attachments to caregivers contributes to future development and growth. The attachment theory focuses on relationship association between caregivers and their children. Children who established a foundation with a caregiver despite their biological relation, gain much needed support. Establishing support, encourages a child’s development. The comfort of safety, allows children to feel secure in taking risks (Groman, 2012).

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When mentioning the Adult Attachment Theory, it provides the extensive work of Bowlby, 1997 for a clear understanding on the development of bonds with others. Likewise, the author delivers important insides into the early experience of mother/child relationships, but also in reference to adult/adult similarities. Waters et al, 2002 states how Bowlby replaced Freud´s Drive Reduction Model of psychodynamics structures about motivation, with the one that emphasizes roles relationships introducing a concept of mental model into his work, actually, Bowlby rejecting categorically his Drive Reduction Theory. Waters et al, 2002 also mention the statement that initially Bowlby documented and criticized some vulnerabilities in the originals Freud´s

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These systems are a set of behaviors activated by environmental stimuli. The attachment system is activated in order to reconnect with a person that provides them emotional safety. The exploratory system allows a person to explore their surrounding environment. Also, the fear/wariness system is used to withdraw from frightening and distressing situations. Another key feature of Attachment Theory are internal working models.

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When children feel securely attached to their parents, they are more likely to develop a positive sense of self and feel confident in their relationships with others. On the other hand, when children experience insecure attachment, such as when a parent is neglectful or inconsistent in their care, they may develop feelings of anxiety, mistrust, or low

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How infant and toddlers are given the time, space, engagement have huge impact in children later years. Experts too has agreed that all these factor are important to the development of children socio-emotional and cognitive (Scroufe, 1988; Howes, 1999). Secure attachments support and help children to be able to regulate emotions, reduce fear, building relationship with other adults, empathy for others and appropriate moral reasoning. Bowlby calls this as the internal working model.

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Since the ‘50s, Bowlby worked alone and with distinguished colleagues such as psychoanalyst James Robertson, ethologist/zoologist Robert Hinde and psychologist Mary Ainsworth on several different studies. Bowlby suggested that due to the attachment between children and their carers, children suffer loss when they are separated. Bowlby’s study with the ethologist Robert Hinde, inspired the idea that certain attachment behaviours have evolved as a survival mechanism (Bergen, 2008). The core of the theory today is that the quality of close relationships affects personality, emotional and social development not only in childhood but throughout the life of the individual (Howe, 2001). This suggests that attachment theory is effectively a biological, psychological and social theory of human development.

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The experiment was done in a room with a one way glass to observe the infant. Different situations were given to the infant to determine the infant’s attachment style, the mother of the infant would leave the room and the infant would be left with the experimenter or the experimenter would leave the room and leave the mother and infant alone. How the infant reacts to the situation is used to determine the attachment style of the infant. Infants with secure attachment style would be distressed every time the mother would leave, the infant avoids the stranger when the mother leaves and when the mother returns the infant becomes happier. Infants with ambivalent attachment attachment style get distressed whenever the mother leaves, and avoids the stranger when left alone.

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Through factors such as cognitive development of the infant, attentive care and intimate interactions with a primary caregiver, the attachment relationship is created – shaping the infants- caregiver bond. By examining the interactions between an infant and their primary caregiver, we can identify secure, insecure and disorganized attachment (Ainsworth, 1978; Cassidy 1994); which can reveal a great deal about the relationship between the infant and attachment figure. Overall, the quality of attachment bonds formed in the early years can have long lasting effects on an infant’s emotional security and social competence; not only shaping their ability to form relationships, but laying the foundations for the social, emotional and mental development of the

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Insecure attachment affects a child’s brain development which in turn impacts interactions with others, resilience, confidence and the ability to explore their environments. Insecure attachment contributes to “cognitive vulnerability to depression, specifically, dysfunctional attitudes.” (Lee & Hankin, 2009). Some characteristics of an insecurely attached child includes the inability to deal with stress, low self esteem, a lack of self control, and pseudo-independent behaviors. These children often behave as if they know that adults are inconsistently available.

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