The attachment theory was first suggested by John Bowlby in 1958. What led him to develop this theory was his work in a Child guidance clinic located in London. There he treated many emotionally unstable children . This led him to contemplate how important was a child’s relationship with their mother in terms of emotional, social and cognitive development. This raises a concern as “To what extent do attachment styles affect children’s social development?” Attachment refers to an emotional bond formed between the child and his caregiver, the caregiver does not have to be a mother, the caregiver is the person that pays attention and stays with the baby most of its time. This theory is based on the ethological notion that a baby is instinctively seeking for proximity with caregivers and this is naturally selected. attachments involve more that giving the child physical needs like food, security and shelter, attachments are important in the emotional and social growth of the child. Kids that receive consistent and responsive caregiving have been found to develop an attachment that is suggested to have advantages for intellectual, social and emotional development through childhood and adolescence. According to Bowlby, “attachment provides a secure base from …show more content…
This is called and internal working model (IWM). This is a type of guide which indicated how the child will behave socially in the future. For example if the child has a strong, loving relationship with the care giver as a baby this will likely be similar to the need of the child to have a strong and loving social relationship with people around him as an adult. On the other side, an unsatisfactory relationship as a child with their caregiver will tend to develop as an unsatisfactory relationships with others later in