Preview

Attachment Theory

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
930 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Attachment Theory
In this essay I have selected 3 different theories, which will focus on human growth development theories, I will demonstrate my understanding of each theory and explain the psychological disturbances which are linked to each one and demonstrate how these theory can be off use to the counsellor in therapy.

John Bowbly (1969) and Mary Ainsworths (1974) known, as the mother and father of attachment theory both became key figures in contributing to child development, with their ideas of personality development, together they changed the views of childcare practice and how mothers, reared their children, his views greatly influenced society, by identifying that a child first relationship was very important as this would effect them for the rest of their lives.
Bowlby (1969) and Ainsworth (19740 described "Attachment as a deep, and enduring bond that connects one person to another across time and space." (Ainsworth, 1976: Bowbly, 1969),

The development of attachment over the last 50 years has also benefited practitioners , nurses parents as it has given them a useful insight into interpersonal relationships and the understanding that pass negative experiences with care givers is damaging to a childens emotional and psychological we'll being.

Attachment theory has been proven to be very effective method used in psychotherapy because it is a very useful tool for counsellors, as it helps the counsellor to focus on relevant information and tells them what to look for descriptions of characteristics and can predict certain behaviour in certain settings, This theory can also help to identify problems and it can help to assist clients in effective modification of their behaviour , thoughts, how you react emotionally to things and events and interpersonal relations as it serves as a foundation for understanding the development of ineffective coping strategies and the underlying dynamics of the person emotional difficulties,

Bowbly,(1907) was the first

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • 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
  • Powerful Essays

    There are a number of similarities and differences in the approaches of Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth in relation to attachment, the bond developed between the child and the mother or the primary care-giver.…

    • 1502 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Attachment theory is a psychological theory which investigates the bond between individuals; it in effect refers primarily to the relationship and bond between a baby and their primary caregiver. Early attachment research was conducted through experiments with animals. Dependency on a presence of another being as an infant is essential to survival within all species. As Psychoanalyst Winnicott (1964: p.88) observed…

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful 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
  • Good Essays

    Mary Ainsworth Attachment

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    According to psychologist Mary Ainsworth, attachment may be defined as an affectional tie that one person or animal forms between themselves and another specific one- a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time. Attachment is a bond where one person feels the need to have close contact with another person. They also experience distress during separation from that special person. This is particularly important during childhood. Attachment does not have to be mutual.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 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 is relatively long term, emotionally important relationship in which one individual seeks proximity to and derives security and comfort from the presence of another” (Investigating psychology, 2012 p. 193). Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth are two famous psychologist who provided us series of experiments to understand the attachment in terms of psychology. HarryHarlow started the experiments on monkeys and Mary Ainsworth focused on human infants’ behaviour. There are various similarities and differences in their sets of experiments by using different techniques.…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space (Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, 1969).…

    • 1617 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personally as a child I developed a secure attachment with my parents as they were responsive to my needs and caring, they were there when I needed them and they provided me with reassurance to explore my environment. As an adult I have been able to develop lasting relationships and I am comfortable with closeness, trusting untitled11.bmpothers, and interdependence. When considering others from my close environment I also can relate their relationship patterns with the attachment theory and this appears helpful to better understand them. For instance a close friend of mine and previous colleague seems she has developed a preoccupied attachment style and this could explain her pattern of relationships thus far in her life. She has an anxious/ambivalent attachment style with her parents as a result of their job obligations, and their personalities were inconsistent regarding their affection towards her. As an adult she developed a preoccupied attachment style and she exhibits this attachment style towards both her friendships and intimate relationships. Particularly when it comes to her intimate relationships this type of attachment style is possibly responsible for her two divorces within a five year time frame and her being less satisfied with her romantic relationships. Whenever she entered into a…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Attachment Theory

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ainsworth observations, `the strange situation` procedure highlight emotional bond that connects mother/infant, she believed, much like Bowlby 1969(Farrington-Flint 2014 p 77) that responding sensitively and appropriately to the child’s requirement, such behaviour appears universal across cultures. Attachment theory provides an explanation of how the parent/child relationship materializes and influences development, this is supported by Psychologist Bowlby, Harlow, Lorenz theories of attachments. Bowlby also suggested a child forms one primary attachment initially, acting as a model for all future social relationships towards others, peers and personal relationships so disrupting it can have consequences. Whereas John Watson (Farrington-Flint 2014 p 133) proposed through the process of conditioning, explaining aspects of attachments though patterns of stimulus and reaction. The nature via nurture debate continues, and appears that a mixture of both enhances attachments. However the question remains can attachments if delayed be rebuilt over time of which it can but with some consequences as seen in The Open University (2014) ‘Feral children’ which focus on nature/nurture factors in cases such as feral children, Romanian orphans, highlighting extreme…

    • 1361 Words
    • 6 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
  • Powerful Essays

    What is Attachment?:- “Attachment is the close bond between two people which endures over time and leads to certain behaviors such as proximity seeking, clinging and distress on separation, These behaviors serve the function of protecting an infant”…

    • 2561 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful 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

    Reactive Attachment Theory

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages

    According to Lynos Hardy, the attachment theory, “suggests that infants are. . . primed to form a close, enduring, dependent bond on a primary caregiver beginning in the first moments of life” (2007, p. 27). Four primary attachment styles have been identified, which are secure, avoidant, disorganized, and ambivalent (TCU Institute of Child Development, 2012). A child with a secure attachment, which is the healthiest form of attachment, is bonded with his parents and will often cry when the parent leaves the room (TCU Institute of Child Development, 2012). However, the disorganized form of attachment is the worst form of attachment, and many children who have been maltreated by their primary caregiver display this form (Hardy, 2007). This type of attachment is often characterized by the child resisting, yet reaching for the primary caregiver (Hardy, 2007, p. 28), and “80-85% of children with a history of abuse” have this type of attachment (TCU Institute of Child Development,…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For this assignment, I am choosing to write about the Attachment Theory, because the concepts of this theory had captured my attention during class. The Attachment Theory was discovered by John Bowlby, which he had examined and analyzed the relationships between a child and their caregiver. Bowlby was attempting to understand the extreme distress from infants, who had been separated from their parents, which left the infants in discomfort. The most important stages of the Attachment Theory is during the first nine months of the infant’s life, when the bond of the newbond and caregiver must be endless, to create a trust and hopeful relationship. A child without a caregiver will likelyhood have relationship issues with another human being or…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays