Ainsworth's Attachment Theory

Child Development: Attachment Theory and Environmental Impacts on Development

The pioneers of the attachment theory who are fundamentally responsible for our present understanding of children and what drives human relationships are psychiatrist John Bowlby (1969) and his colleague, Mary Ainsworth (1989), a developmental psychologist who further elaborated on the theory. The theory was based mainly on ethology, the study of the advanced behaviour of numerous species in their natural habitat. Bowlby drew his main concepts from psychoanalytic theory as he was a trained therapist in psychoanalytic thinking about how mother-child relationships contribute to psychopathology (also studied orphans separated from their mothers during war) and also
She conceptualised this behaviour as a child’s use of the mother as a ‘secure base’. Firstly, a secure base supports exploration by being accessible in the occasion that the base is necessary (e.g., to be waiting if retreat becomes required, to help in moving obstacles, to be sensitive and responsive as a safe haven in times of need or distress, to be accepting of need when required). Secondly, a secure base supports exploration by not needlessly interfering with exploration and lastly, a secure base supports exploration by being encouraging and accommodating of exploration, (Feeney & Thrush, 2010). The ability to use one’s parent as a secure base is at the core of attachment security in both infancy, (Ainsworth et al.,1978) and adolescence (Allen et al., 2003). Attachment figures can assist as secure bases regardless of the earlier style of communication between the people involved. Ainsworth (1973) claimed that the quality of the parent-child communication influences the child's sense of security, but not the presence of the bond itself. On the other hand, Lamb (1976) comprehends that the development of the child's attachment depends on the appropriateness and sensitivity of the responses of the ‘secure
Such sensitivity was established in parents who treasured attachments built on their memories of being accepted themselves and sensitively cared for as a child, (Pianta,1999). Parents who have experienced challenging early years themselves or have an infant with special needs require help in four crucial areas: a) understanding child development in all areas; b) learning to be sensitive to their child; c) finding satisfaction and adequate time for sensitive, supportive communications with the child in situations they can explore. The ‘secure base’ provides the child with a sense of worth, a trust in the value of others, (Bowlby,1999). According to studies, it has been inferred that the quality of the early life experiences with the secure base influences the ability to explore the environment with confidence, develop peer relationships and close intimate adult relationships and provides an exemplary for future parenting, (Grossman, Grossman K &