Preview

Analysis Of John Bowlby's Attachment Theory

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
287 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis Of John Bowlby's Attachment Theory
Attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby, a child psychiatrist. Due to his work with children with mental and emotional disturbances, Bowlby noticed a patterns of attachment and the children response to stressful situations when separated from their primary caregiver These experiences eventually lead Bowlby and Robertson to consider the important of the bond between a caregiver and children and their effect on long-term emotional, social, and intellectual development into adult-hood.

Attachment theory was created to explain and understand the inclination for young children to maintain proximity to caregivers for both support and safety. Attachment theory stresses the importance of a forming a parent- child bond which is fostered out

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Furthermore, there are few weaknesses that Bowlby`s attachment theory displays. For instance, his theory promotes the idea that attachment behaviour has evolved therefore the child`s development presents good face validity. But he fails to take into consideration that these evolutionary ideas he proposes are seen as outdated and not universal to today’s modern society. Secondly, the theory is viewed as gender bias because it emphasises on the role of the mother being the caregiver. There is a research that has shown within two parent families, the father `s involvement in the quality of attachment can play major role in the child’s behaviour and development (Grossman & Grossman,…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This essay will describe and evaluate Bowlby’s theory of attachment and maternal deprivation hypothesis. The essay will describe the two theories, weighing up the strengths and the weaknesses. It will include supporting research by Shaffer and Emerson, Ainsworth and Harlow, along with criticisms by Rutter.…

    • 2361 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reflecting on Mahler’s terminology of separation- individuation, and Bowlby and Ainsworth’s attachment style regarding child development process, it easy for someone to suspect that two different things are being discussed however; one can hypothesize that Mahler is stating that separation is necessary for individuation while Bowlby and Ainsworth attachment theory, stresses, that individuation occurs optimally, within the framework of secure attachment (Goldstein, 1995).…

    • 63 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many researchers have studied attachment; however, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth are the researchers responsible for the origination of the attachment theory, therefore also becoming catalysts for the research of attachment in the late eighteenth century. Attachment, as defined by Ainsworth, is “‘an affectional tie’ that an infant forms with a caregiver—a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time” (Berger, 2014, p. 142). Furthermore, as described in Berger, the attachment theory assesses the behaviors associated with four identified types of infant attachment. These four types include secure, insecure-resistant/ambivalent, insecure avoidant, and disorganized attachment. Berger defines each of these types as follows: securely…

    • 186 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bowlby’s career started off in the medical direction as he was following in his surgeon father’s footsteps. Bowlby studied psychology and pre-clinical sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, winning prizes for outstanding intellectual performance. After Cambridge, he worked with maladjusted and delinquent children until, at the age of twenty-two, he enrolled at University College Hospital in London. At twenty-six, he qualified in medicine. While still in medical school, he enrolled himself in the Institute for Psychoanalysis. Following medical school, he trained in adult psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital. In 1936, aged 30, he qualified as a psychoanalyst. Bowlby studied several children during his time working in world war two at the Canonbury clinic, and developed a research project based on case studies of the children’s behaviours and family histories. Bowlby examined 44 delinquent children from Canonbury who had a history of stealing and compared them to controls from Canonbury that were being treated for various reasons but did not have a history of stealing.One of Bowlby’s main findings through…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Bowlby was a psychoanalyst and believed that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. Bowlby’s evolutionary theory of attachment suggests that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, because this will help them to survive.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Looking over a couple theories that related to Chris and his family, it seemed like attachment theory fit best. I believe that attachment theory is best for Chris because he had that secure attachment with his mom that allowed him branch out and do something completely unexpected of him. He knew that if anything went wrong he had someone there who had his back, which was his mom and sister. That knowledge of security allowed him to go on this journey and experience the unknown. Attachment theory, established by John Bowlby, is a set a concepts that are used to explain the emergence of the emotional bond that forms between an infant and their primary caregiver. It then goes on to explore that way in which the bond affects the child’s emotional…

    • 142 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bowlby’s theory of attachment suggests that children instinctually form attachments with others to help them survive. Overtime children learn to depend on the caregiver and recognize that they will be there to comfort them and keep them safe. Attachment behaviors develop to protect against situations that threaten the closeness of those attachments. Bowlby suggested that infants and mothers have a biological need to stay in contact with each other so the child would have a secure base for exploring the world.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Attachment theory is a concept in developmental psychology that concerns the importance of "attachment" in regards to personal development. John Bowlby was the first Psychologist to experiment this childhood development that he believed depended heavily upon a child's ability to form a strong relationship with at least one primary caregiver. Bowlby’s studies led him to believe that children needed someone dominant for support and reassurance. Without this relationship, Bowlby felt that children would long for stability and security. On the other side of this theory, he believed a child with a strong attachment to a parent knows that they will have their “backs”, and will tend to be more adventurous and eager to have new experiences. Mary Ainsworth…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Firstly, this essay is going to discuss John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory, which was developed in 1969(REFERENCE), and how it can identify differences between individuals. According to Gross (2015), an attachment is:…

    • 1727 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Attachment theory is the focal point of understanding the physically and emotional relationships among individuals that starts off with the first interactive love relationship that usually involves a primary caregiver as an infant which is usually your mother. Within the Attachment Theory it is the mother/child bond that develops the infant’s brain development to create self-esteem, how you view others, ability to trust and how to eventually develop a successful adult relationship. Parents that are present, dependable and responsive to the needs of the child allow them to build up a sense of safety which creates a secure base for the child to then explore the world.…

    • 1115 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bowlby Attachment Theory

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John Bowlby believed that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. Bowlby’s evolutionary theory of attachment suggests that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, because this will help them to survive.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Attachment theories are important to consider as it has been backed up by theorists that unstable or interrupted attachments in childhood carry out into adulthood. A child/young person needs attachments with their caregivers in order to thrive in their environment. According to Bowlby, attachment patterns are formed in the context of early life experiences with caregivers, and maintained by later interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Attachment patterns become internalized and shape how indiviudals see the self and others in close relationships which in turn influence how one perceives and cpes with stress throughout their lifespan.…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Four Models Of Abuse

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The attachment theory was developed by John Bowlby in 1971. His theory suggests that if a mother and her child have a significant separation in the first five years of the child’s life it could lead to physical…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Attachment is the relationship or bond between the child and his/her main caregiver (“Attachment Theory,” 2012). A child’s close attachment to his/her primary caregiver helps the child develop and is very important throughout a child’s life. Research has shown that children need at least one close relationship with a primary caregiver in order to develop (“Babies Remember Moments of Neglect,” 2010). Different attachment types are able relate to a caregivers parenting style and have the ability to impact a child’s future personality and social development.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays