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…
The results proved that yes, secure attachment type is the most common form across the globe, supporting the idea that secure attachment is the best for healthy social and emotional development, but there are differences when it comes to the insecure attachment types.…
Modern attachment theory, founded by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, studied the relationship between children and their caregivers. Attachment theory was applied to adult romantic relationships in the late 1980’s by Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver. They found interactions between adult romantic partners and interactions between children and their caregivers shared similarities. There are four main attachment styles identified in both adults and children. The adult styles are secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, and fearful-avoidant. The children styles are secure, anxious-ambivalent, anxious-avoidant, and disorganized. The core principles of attachment theory apply to both types of relationships.…
Robert Sternberg created his triangular theory of love based on three dimensions: passion, intimacy, and commitment. The degree to which a relationship demonstrates these three dimensions determines the type of love relationship. People begin love relationships with those who care for them as children. These early relationships can have a great effect on their adult relationships.…
Attachment is when you get a strong reciprocal, emotional bond between two people like with a mother and infant. The attachment acts as a basis for further emotional and psychological development. Following on from the study carried out by Schaffer and Emerson (1964) on the phases of development in attachment, Ainsworth and Bell (1978) investigated individual differences in attachment using the Strange Situation. They hoped that their method of assessing attachments would be a reliable and valid measure of attachments. The Strange Situation test lasted approximately 20 minutes and involved the observation of an American infant (12 to 18 months) in a controlled observation room. The procedure consisted of 7 stressful episodes each lasting 3 minutes, depending on the reaction of the infant. The first episode involved the infant exploring the room in the presence of the caregiver. A stranger then entered the room, followed by the discreet departure of the caregiver. The caregiver would then return, and the reaction of the child would be recorded. The stranger would then leave the room. There was 3 clear groups of infants from the recorded results that were collected. One group greeted the mother on her return, this shows that the child was securely attached. Another group showed distress all around the room and rejected the mother on return, this is called an insecure resistant child. The final type of child found from the results was a child that didn’t orientate the room in which they were in, and they didn’t show any interest in their mothers return. This is called an insecure avoidant child.…
Bowlby’s theory is an evolutionary theory because, in his view attachment is a behavioural system that has evolved because of its survival value and, ultimately, its reproductive value. According to Bowlby, children have an innate drive to become attached to a caregiver because attachment has long-term benefits. Both attachment and imprinting ensure that a young animal stays close to a caregiver who will feed and protect the young animal. Thus attachment and imprinting are adaptive behaviours. Infants who do not become attached are less likely to survive and reproduce. Attachment ‘genes’ are perpetuated, and infants are born with an innate drive to become attached.…
Humans are social beings and need to be with others and form relationships but our relationship behaviors do not "come naturally" and they need to be learned similar to other social skills (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2005, p.77). Many psychologists argue that the kind of relationships infants have with their primary caregivers is the blueprint for the later life relationships (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2005). Behaviors in adult relationships' are influenced by the kinds of relationships and attachments they have experienced in their early years with their primary caregivers. This is the basic perspective of the theory of attachment styles that claims that the kind of bonds we form early in life influence…
This essay describe the importance and results of parents impact on their children's social development, which involves children learning values, knowledge and skills enabling them to relate to others effectively. Furthermore, describing the role of parents, what influences that role, parents as role models and how parents implement different parenting styles and their impact? As well as focusing on children's first relationships, attachments and how they relate to others as they develop towards adulthood.…
There are many factors that contribute to the theory of attachment. One of many different behavior patterns, attachment, seems to develop in a variety of ways due to the interaction of nature and nurture. Mary Ainsworth, who researches different aspects of attachment, defines attachment as “an emotional tie formed between one animal or person and another specific individual.” Chris McCandless displayed many different attributes that would make one believe that he has multiple different types of attachment disorders. One would be that throughout the movie you can feel the anger and resentment that he has towards his parents, you get the sense that he wants absolutely nothing to do with them. But even though he does not have a well-rounded relationship with his parents he is still able to have a functioning relationship with his sister. He is able to communicate with her in ways that he has never been able to with his parents and that is a very vital factor in the movie because Chris comes off as very independent yet he takes on a somewhat parenting role for her. Another factor is that Chris is more of a traditionalist; he doesn’t like to live the modern day lifestyle like his parents do and that is where they clash the most. Their viewpoints are complete opposites. It seems to me as if it has been a constant battle in their relationship so once he graduated he began to rebel. Instead of doing what the typical teenager would do, talking back and staying out past curfew, he runs away and drops off of the grid. Chris was seeking the ultimate isolation and freedom, to where there were no rules, money, bills, or anything.…
I do think that my attachment style is very similar as it was with my parents. I never developed a strong emotional bond growing up. While I knew my parents loved each other they did not really express it, at least not in front of us. I can say looking back I maybe saw my parents kiss one or two times.…
When looking at the types of attachment styles and how they affect the type of love relationship an individual may have, we take a look at the infant who can only survive if the parent is willing to meet the basic needs of the infant. In this stage of our life we form bonds with our caregivers mainly our parents and most of the time the primary caregiver is our mother. The bond between mother and infant tends to be a strong considering it is the mother who is taking care of the infant’s basic needs. In the textbook it states “Our most important first question is: Can I count on my caregiver to be available when needed?” Bolt, M. (2004) Pursuing human strengths: A positive psychology guide. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. (p.22), in my own opinion when looking at the first attachment style which is secure attachment I would say that an individual has experience this type of care from their caregiver would have a stable love relationship with those around them being that they would be able to relate to others better because they have been shown that their caregiver will be there for them even if they should leave them for a lengthy period of time. I would say the individuals that experience these types of relationships may tend to be more well-adjusted in their relationships and will form stronger bonds within these relationships, in this case I would say these individuals are happier, more independent, and will most likely have healthier meaningful interactions in their love relationships, which is a positive aspect when developing life-long partnerships with those around them. In the second attachment style which is avoidant individuals who have cold caregivers will start displaying those same traits that they have been exposed to by the person who is caring for them, they show little distress when during periods of separation and do not cling upon reunion with their parent, these…
This is characterised by the child keeping at a distance from the caregiver, and displaying little distress at separation. This occurs when the primary care figure is inconsistent, and does not provide the child a secure base (Passer & Smith 2013, p. 432).…
The topic of teen pregnancy has been studied in a variety of areas, but much of the research focuses on the teen mother. According to Allen & Doherty (1996), “Compared with adolescent mothers, relatively little is known about adolescent fathers.” Parenthood seems to be the sole responsibility of the teen mother. When exploring teen pregnancy one group that is held to minimal standards, and seen to be absent in the parenting process is the teen father. Research has been conducted on African American fathers with respect to their lack of presence in the lives of their children, the negative effects to children due to their absence, lack of provision for their children, and child support issues (Bronte-Tinkew, Scott, & Lilia, 2010; Coles, 2009a; Gursimsek, 2003; Krampe & Newton, 2006).…
I find myself as a secure attachment style. When I feel vulnerable to injury, I will seek comfort and support from my parents, family members, and loved ones. Oppositely, when my loved ones encounter problems, I am willing to provide them comfort and support. I think that my adult attachment style is related to my parents and my family greatly. I am twins and have a brother that born one minute before me. My father worked a lot when we were little. My parents were afraid that they could not take care of two babies at the same time, so they decided that one of us will be living with our grandmother and uncle’s family from my mother’s side; we would switch every one week. I think that my parents made this decision so they could take care one…
I do believe that healthy attachment is the basis for forming healthy adult relationships. As the skills and behaviours that we are exposed to in childhood, form our ability to properly interact in our later life. As we watched in the documentary, unhealthy attachment early on in life, has the ability to drastically and negatively affect an individual’s ability to form healthy and trustworthy relationships. As a child, I was exposed to safe and secure relationships with both of my parents, which gave the ability to trust others within the social relationships that I interact in. My mother and I were very close while I was growing up, she was a protective and loving figure, and as I watched and imitated her behaviours, I developed the ability…