Applying John Bowlby's Attachment Theory

Attachment theory was first proposed by John Bowlby but was further expanded on and confirmed by Mary D. Salter Ainsworth (Andrews, 2010). British psychiatrist, John Bowlby, theorized that infants saw their parents as their safe and secure cornerstone; that these individuals in their life would always be there to protect them. Bowlby’s theory stated that there are several actions an infant performs that increase their likelihood of survival. The action of an infant smiling, crying and adhering to their parent and the reaction and the dependability of the parent to react that creates the attachment. It is this attachment that Bowlby proposed could affect the infant’s future interactions with others (Andrews, 2010). If the parent is a caring, loving, trustworthy individual the infant internalizes
Bowlby’s theory was later established by American psychologist Mary Ainsworth. Ainsworth developed a study that showed the response of infants that were left alone to play for a period of time and the parents return (Darity, 2008). It was the response of the infants that lead Ainsworth to suggest there are three different patterns to infant attachment. The patterns proposed by Ainsworth are as follows: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-ambivalent (Darity, 2008). The study showed that infants who have a secure bond with their parents would feel distressed upon the parents leaving but would enthusiastically return to their parents upon their reunion. The infants with an insecure-avoidant bond would avoid interaction with the parents upon their return and seems to ignore them completely. And the final pattern set forth by Ainsworth, insecure-ambivalent, showed the infants feeling less secure about their parents return, and in fact they showed aggression or anger towards their parents. Later Mary Main and Judith Solomon (Darity, 2008) recognized a fourth pattern. Main and Solomon contend that the fourth pattern not previously recognized would be