Attachment Theory Of Interpersonal Attraction

Introduction: Interpersonal attraction links to positive attraction about an individual. It includes the following
1. Liking
2. Love
3. Friendship
4. Lust
5. Admiration.
Attachment:
When you feel a strong bond, affection and sympathy for other. In other words it can be said that when an individual is attracted to other individual for some specific purpose.
Influences
There are many influences due to which people are attracted to others. These are
1. Physical attractiveness: Physical attractiveness leads to romantic attraction. A partner is attracted to another partner who is more physically attractive. As compared to women men are more likely to rate physical attractiveness.
2. Matching hypothesis: People choose those partners who are

One individual may have affection with other individual but that should not be mutual. In simple words it should not be shared. Attachment is figured out by noticing some specific behaviors in children. For example looking for immediacy with the attachment figure when child is upset or is in danger. (Bowlby, 1969).
Attachment behavior in grownups towards the child includes reacting favorably, sympathetically and suitably to the child’s desires. Such behaviors are seen as worldwide across different cultures. Attachment theory explains how the parent-child relationship is formed and how it influences succeeding growth and development.

John Bowlby has contributed a lot to the Attachment theory by his works and experiments. In the 1930’s John Bowlby performed an experiment in a clinic named child guidance. He examined many sensitively distressed and worried children. As a result Bowlby judged the significance of the child’s relationship with their mother. He said that a child is connected to his mother through communal, affecting and cognitive development. Specifically, it shaped his belief about the link between early infant separations with the mother and later maladjustment. Thus Bowlby formulated his attachment theory.

Harlow’s Monkeys

He brought some other young monkeys and left them with three other monkeys. Within 20 minutes he found that they raise up to be quite usual and typical. This was because of the social interaction.
Lorenz's Imprinting Theory
Lorenz (1935) took a large number of goose eggs. He kept them until they were about to originate. He placed half of the eggs under goose mother while the other half were placed near to him.
When the ducks hatched Lorenz produced a mother duck's quacking sounds. As a result the young ones considered himas their mother. They followed him. The other group followed the mother goose.
As a result Lorenz found that young ones go after the first motion object they see. This is known as imprinting. He suggested that attachment is natural and planned genetically.
To prove that imprinting has occurred or not Lorenz put all the young ones under one box. He allowed them to mix. When the box was detached two groups were formed. Half of them went to the mother goose and the other half moved toward Lorenz.
Imprinting does not occur immediately. It is said that it occurs between 12-17 hours after hatching. After 32 hours it is not likely to happen. One important point to be noted is that imprinting is not a reversed process nor it can imprint on anything