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What Is John Bowlby's Explanation Of Attachment

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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. He drew on a variety of different influences to develop his theory. The underlying basis of Bowlby's theory was the innate or instinctive nature of attachment. He argued that attachment behaviours in both babies and their caregivers have evolved through natural selection to ensure the baby survives to reach maturity and to reproduce. Babies possess instincts such as crying and smiling, which encourage the caregiver to look after them. Parents, especially mothers according to Bowlby, possess instincts designed to protect their baby from harm and to nurture them to ensure survival to maturity. Those babies and …show more content…

Schaffer (1996) distinguishes between vertical relationships the child has with those who are older and more powerful such as parents and teachers; and horizontal relationships, which are attachments to someone with a similar level of power, usually a sibling or peer. Relationships with siblings are very long lasting and often very important in our lives, Bee (1995) has noted the different kinds of attachment between siblings such as ''buddies', often pairs of sisters, who try to be like each other and enjoy each other's company and 'caregivers' where an older sibling takes care of the younger, often behaving in a quasi-parental way. Bowlby's emphasis on the relationship between mother and baby led to those important attachments being

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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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After reading the book “Ghosts from the nursery: Tracing the roots of violence” infants, let alone the fetus are not exempt from outside environments. John Bowl theorized that attachment theory is bondings with caregivers, particularly with mothers are very essential. The inquiry shows time alone with the baby immediately after birth has lasting consequences of interactions between.

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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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Children are completely reliant on the adults in their early lives. Whether it is their biological parents, foster parents, or other family members, children need to be able to build upon healthy relationships in order to achieve normal development (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2004). In John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth’s “strange theory” there are four different kinds of attachment between the parent and child: secure attachment, anxious-ambivalent attachment, anxious-avoidant attachment, and disorganized attachment (Fraley, 2010). Not having a secure attachment in infancy can cause a multitude of problems. There are many aspects in a child’s life that can have an effect on whether or not the child is able to develop healthy relationships with adults

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John Bowlby, born in 1907, was a psychoanalyst with a deep interest in child development and established the attachment theory (Newworldencyclopedia.org, 2018). He’s finding came from different sources of psychological study including his own life. During his childhood era, cuddling was believed lead to smothered and spoiled children. His mother would only spend an hour with him a day and didn’t form any attachment with him but left the responsibility to his nanny. His Nanny departure at the tender age of 4 years old was traumatic and devastating because she was his primary caregiver.

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The attachment theory of John Bowlby has had an enduring impact on our understanding of child development. This study of Bowlby’s attachment theory allows us to understand more thoroughly how society and culture in constructing child rearing practices have a profound impact not only on the child but on the entire learning life of that individual. Attachment theory provides us with a lifelong learning project that brings together deep psychological patterns. Knowing that Bowlby does not do justice to the social and cultural factors that impact on development. At the core of a critical adult learning theory it is necessary to imagine how the cultures and societies, in which we live, interact with and influence the ways in which people relate

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A secure attachment is ideal for what mothers want to form with their infants. When an infant and mother are able to form a healthy bond it has been proven to have a secure attachment in their future adult relationships. Another one of Bowlby’s attachment style discussed in a journal (2013) described an anxious-avoidant child as an insecure, the child will ignore the care giver and will not explore much that is in their surroundings. This causes the infant to want the attention from the mother and not have the confindence in their relationship to reach out into exploring other relationship- this is what a child of divorce can feel from the drama of losing a caregiver (Kolette & Rebecca, 2013). The next attachment style is anxious-resistant; this attachment style causes the infant to want their mother or caregiver but they are upset and anger to that they left to the infant pulls away when trying to be soothed.

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Attachment theory is based on results from research, from observational studies completed by theorist such as Bowlby, Ainsworth and James and Joyce Robertson; it’s a framework for understanding the nature of creating secure bonds that develop between children and those who care for them. The theory focuses majorly on relationships during early stages of a child’s life, and the impact the relationship bonds have on the emotional development and mental health of the child as

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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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O’Gorman (2012) states that “attachment theory provides a theoretical framework that offers the systemic therapist a detailed description of the infancy period plus increased insight into the qualities of caregiver-child

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This thesis studies the role of attachment theory on child development by evaluating attachment types and experiments due to its crucial role in influencing a child's growth. The objective is to exemplify attachment theory and explain its role in a child's development. Experiments by Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth, as well as external research by John Bowlby, are employed in this study. The results retain diverse attachment types, their effects on parenting, and how early attachment affects adult relationships. To conclude, attachment theory is a vital developmental milestone in a child's life and remains an essential subject throughout their lifetime.

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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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  In order for a human being to have a successful social life in later years, it is of the utmost importance that emotional bonds act as building blocks for development.   After some research in his early works Bowlby found some theories suggesting that "attachment was only a behavioural pattern that is picked up during the progression of growing up and developing in the early months of life, and that it was basically due to a feeding relationship between the young child and the mother/caregiver".    However, it became apparent to Bowlby that even feedings did not stop the anxiety children go through when they were separated from their mother/caregivers.

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