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Bowlby's Theory Of Positive Attachment

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There are many theories about the significance of positive attachment and how this affects child development. Two important figures in establishing theories of attachment are Harry Harlow and John Bowlby and by looking into their findings more deeply, we can see why attachments are so important to children and configure ways to promote more positive relationships amongst children and parents. Harlow is known for his psychological experiments involving infant monkeys to research the importance of caregiving and companionship. Harlow decided to investigate the mother-infant bond after observing monkeys taken into a nursery-replicated setting without a mother behaved differently to others remaining with their mothers. These monkeys held in …show more content…

He found that meeting children’s physical needs alone was insufficient and they were mentally damaged from the absence of a caregiver. After investigating further into the children’s past experiences, he noticed a link between all their upbringings – they had all suffered early separation from their mothers. By observing children’s behaviour who had been separated from their families, Bowlby found three consistent phases that made up “separation anxiety”. The first stage is to protest; the child will cry, scream and kick at the action of their parent leaving and often cling onto them in an attempt to prevent it from happening. The child’s protesting then begins to stop and they appear calmer yet still upset. They refuse comfort from others and become withdrawn and uninterested in activities in what is known as the stage of despair. The final stage is detachment from their initial caregiver and show anger towards them if they return. The child will reject their caregiver as they begin to engage with other people again. There are features of Bowlby’s theory of attachment that suggest how children should be provided with the correct care and the results of when this isn’t present. He believed that children have an innate requirement to build attachments. He also believed that infants need to build one main attachment that will differ to other attachments made and argued that monotropy is present between mothers and their children. Babies will signal their main caregiver by crying and laughing, which the caregiver is to respond to if they have formed a positive, secure attachment. They will also use the person of their main attachment as a secure base to explore their surroundings away from and return to for comfort and reassurance. If an attachment has broken down or is non-existent, the results would lead to negative consequences such as

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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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This research gives to wonder, are we doing harm when sending our young children to the sitter or school expecting them to act like they don't care when we leave? The other alternative? A bunch of crying, clinging children with separation anxieties being brought up in society. In the argument nurture vs. nature, both of these scientists have shown that nature needs nurture and that attachment is a product of

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Furthermore, Mahler’s separation-individuation periods, and Bowlby’s attachment phases share similar concepts, which appears to be critical period for development. In particular, child sense of self and changes occur with mother’s involvement as the child becomes less dependent, and practicing periods from both perspectives emphasize children exploration and his or her experience with splitting (e.g. frustration and gratification) and “trust vs mistrust” is evident (Goldstein, 1995). As a result, the child develops maturity with continual recourse for a much greater identity and ego functioning (Goldstein, 1995).

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How was this attachment style born? Bowlby identified a clear and predictable sequence of three emotional reactions that typically occur subsequent to the separation of an infant from its primary caregiver as explained by Levy & Blatt (1999). First emotional reaction he identified is protest that involves crying, active searching, and resistance to others soothing efforts. Followed by despair and then detachment (Levy & Blatt 1999).

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Although we are studying theories, some of them appear to explain human behavior and personality with certain accuracy. John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth theories of attachment can also explain what happens to people when attachment to their parents or caregivers is healthy or potential problems that could occur due to detachments. They suggest that individuals raised with secure attachments to their primary caregivers help them to feel secure; moreover, these children appear to be more socially skilled and less likely to experience major emotional disturbances. However, failure to form healthy attachments, especially mother-child, could serve as a descriptive mechanism for many negative psychological outcomes later in the life of an individual,

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Perhaps the most influential explanation of attachment was presented by John Bowlby who began developing his ideas in the 1940s. Bowlby presented two key theories, namely the maternal deprivation hypothesis and his theory of attachment, which we shall consider here. The ideas behind these theories are closely linked. Rather than locating the child's formation of attachment within the environment as learning theories do, Bowlby argued that attachment was an evolved mechanism that ensured the survival of the child.

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Bowlby 's Attachment Theory Bowlby characterized connection as an "enduring mental connectedness between individuals." His ethological hypothesis of connection recommends that babies have an inborn need to frame a connection bond with a guardian. This is a developed reaction that expands a tyke 's odds of survival. Infants are conceived with various practices, for example, crying and cooing, and parental figures are organically modified to react to these signs and take care of the kid 's needs. While moms are frequently connected with this part as essential parental figures and connection figures, Bowlby believed that babies could frame such bonds with others.

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With research, it has become apparent that there is a correspondence between mothers and children on the basis that attachment. Attachment depends on the reaction from mothers to her child’s emotional cues. (Feldman, 2012, Chapter

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Attachment theory suggests it is the quality of the relationship between the child and caregiver, which ultimately influences development (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011). Ideally, the child and caregiver should express attunement to one another (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011). Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment differentiated the securely attached child from the insecure child through the child’s reaction to the return of her caregiver after periods of separation (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011). The securely attached child “actively greet(s) and initiate(s) interaction with the caregiver upon reunion” (Sroufe & Seigel, 2011, p. 4). The securely attached child develops a positive “internal working model” (Schore & Schore, 2008, p. 12), influencing self-efficacy.

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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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One of the main theories in Developmental psychology is the attachment theory that was devised by Bowlby (1969) and was added to in 1973, by Mary Ainsworth. The attachment theory surrounds the bond between a primary care giver and a baby. They believe that attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space. In 1930 Bowlby worked as a psychiatrist in a children’s unit, where he treated many emotionally disturbed children, this lead him to consider the relationship between mother and child and the impact that could have on the child’s development. Bowlby believed that the attachment process was an all or nothing process and that you either were attached or were not attached.

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Describe and evaluate two approaches/ theories in Development Psychology Edward Bowlby was a British psychologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst born in London in 1907. His work was largely based around child development. He founded The Attachment Theory. Bowlby defined attachment as a ‘lasting psychological connectedness between human beings’ –( 1969, p 194). According to Bowlby (1958) attachment can be understood within an evolutionary context in that the caregiver provides safety and security for an infant.

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Bowlby 's attachment theory had vast investigation done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the interactions between mother and child, specifically, the theme of an infant’s investigation of their surroundings and the separation from their mother. This essay will focus on Bowlby’s attachment theory and Mary Ainsworth’s experiments and findings, discussing their views on the development and importance of attachment in early life. John Bowlby’s primary interest was in the relationship between child and mother or primary caregiver. Bowlby suspected that the earliest relationships formed by children and their primary parent or care giver, have huge impacts on the child’s later life. From this, Bowlby developed the attachment theory.

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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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Insecure attachment is “characterized by fear, anxiety, anger, or indifference.” (Berger 2014, pg.193). An infant becomes insecurely attached to his caregiver when the child has learned that there are no positive effects to emotional expressions. For example, when a caregiver allows the child to “cry it out” and is unresponsive to the child’s needs, the child will learn that his needs will not be fulfilled by others. This results in the child not being able to develop any emotional awareness and might feel emotionally detached from his caregiver.

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