Bowlby Attachment Theory

Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space (Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, 1969). Certain behaviours often define the kind of attachment one shares with the other person although there is no necessary condition regarding the mutuality of the feelings and emotions. With respect to children, attachment is often noticed in situations where in the child looks for some sort of closeness when vulnerable. The same can be observed when adults respond to the needs and requirements of the child. The levels of attachment differ from person to person and the kind of bonding they have. This relationship is explained through ‘attachment theory’ that came into being with the works of John Bowlby who

According to Bowlby attachment is a lasting psychological connection between human beings. In the present paper, The relationship between the men from the armed forces and their children is understood by keeping this study in mind. It is hypothesized that because of the constant deployment of parent the relationship between the two undergoes a lot of stress. The following literature reviews will further help in understanding this aspect.

There are almost 2 million children who have experienced combat related deployment in the past couple of years. This not only creates tension and worry regarding the safety of the parent deployed but it also begins the cycle of long separations followed by readjustment of the remaining family and the reestablishment of family roles. (Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth; David riggs). Usually during deployments a change in

Due to the numerous and sometimes extremely long deployment periods the bonding between the parent and child undergoes a lot of change. The emotional cycle of deployment begins with the child experiencing anxiety as explained by Kelly and Rutter which is then followed by a period of stability wherein the child gets used to it and eventually a range of mixed emotions such as excited as well as apprehension with the return of the parent. The absence of the deployed parent on several important occasions leads to communication gap between the two. Several studies further mention how usually the bonding with the other parent is much stronger. Sometimes because of the hectic work, the parent forgets to put in that extra effort which is taken by the child as disinterest towards him. Uncertainty as well as concern for the deployed parent is depicted by the child by various ways. Toddlers often end up giving a warm welcome after crossing the initial stage of ambiguity while most adolescents refrain from opening up and hence end up being aloof. Thus, in order to maintain a healthy level of attachment with the child extra efforts from both ends should be made. Certain methods should be developed in order to ensure that the transition from Pre deployment to reunion is