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…
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…
Chris McCandless, is he crazy or did he have justification? In the book Into the Wild, Chris McCandless deserted all his possessions and all of his money and set out on a journey to Alaska, that would eventually kill him. Some may believe that Chris McCandless went into the wild because of pure ignorance, but the main reasons are family problems and the desire to see and experience…
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.…
Research/Studies on Attachment Harlow – Learning Theory Food is less important than comfort Schaffer & Emerson (1964) – Learning Theory Infants aren’t necessarily attached to the adult who feed them Bowlby (1969) – Bowlby’s Theory Attachment is adaptive & innate Lorenz (1952) – Bowlby’s Theory Imprinting in animals Hodges & Tizard (1989) – Bowlby’s Theory Sensitive period Belsky & Rovine (1987) – Bowlby’s Theory Temperament hypothesis Van Izjendoorn et al. (1999) –…
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.…
The learning theory of attachment focuses of two concepts; operant and classical conditioning. Classical conditioning as an explanation for attachment describes the baby receiving food (and unconditioned stimulus) and producing an unconditioned response (happiness) and the mother feeding the baby will be the neutral stimulus. The baby will then experience the mother giving them food (and therefore happiness) a number of times and then learn to associate the mother (now a conditioned stimulus) with the feeling of happiness (a conditioned response) and thus an attachment will form. Operant conditioning describes attachment as a reinforced response. When a baby gets food it 's discomfort will become happiness and the baby will associate this feeling with food and therefore food will become the primary reinforcer. The person feeding the baby will also be associated with the happiness and therefore become the secondary reinforcer and an attachment will form.…
Studying attachments and their loss can help us understand how early relationship experiences can affect later development…
Psychologists have put forward different explanations of attachment, such as learning theory and Bowlby’s theory.…
The learning theory, firstly proposed by Dolland Miller (1950) argues that attachment is a form of nurture and so is learnt. Behaviourists came up with the idea that it is learnt either through classical or operant conditioning. The learning theory was introduced by behaviourists who base most of their explanation on the effects of nurturing. They proposed that all behaviour is learned rather than inborn and In terms of attachment, through either classical or operant conditioning. Psychologists have based their explanation of attachment on Pavlov’s experiments into classical conditioning. They argue that for infants the sensation of hunger and the need for food is an unconditioned stimulus and producing a sense of pleasure happens when the baby receives food. The baby then has an unconditioned response to receiving food. The person who produces the food becomes associated with the pleasure the baby feels. If that is repeated enough the baby then reacts in a similar way to the mother as it does to food, even in the absence of food. The baby then learns to become attached to the mother.…
Classical conditioning - Before attachment is learned, the infant gains pleasure through being fed. Food is the unconditioned stimulus and pleasure is the unconditioned response. When the infant is being fed, the infant associates the person providing the food with the food. The primary caregiver is the neutral stimulus, which becomes associated with food (the unconditioned stimulus). When the attachment has been learned, the infant gains pleasure when the primary caregiver is present. The primary caregiver is now the conditioned stimulus and pleasure is now the conditioned response.…
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.…
The evolutionary explanation of attachment was mainly developed by John Bowlby. Starting in the early 1940s he suggests that there is an innate nature attachment, this meaning that a baby is born biologically with ideas/ behaviours, for a baby to form an attachment with a caregiver. Bowlby suggests that the main reason for this instinctive attachment is due to the primary dependency for food and survival on a mother figure. Based on Freud’s theory that a mother – child relationship is important in forming future attachments Bowlby argues that the primary attachment between the baby and caregiver provided the child with what he calls an internal working model. This he describes as a template for future relationships as it gives the child an idea of whether or not they are lovable and a model of whether the person they are attached…
Attachments are formed in the very earliest months and years of life. These have a significant influence on emotional development as well as providing a template for the child as he or she grows into adulthood…
The attachment theory, introduced by John Bowlby, primarily concerns the infant’s relationship with the primary caregiver (Arnett 2012). Bowlby explains that if there is a strong sense of trust in the child’s first attachment, and the caregiver is “sensitive and responsive” in their caring style, the infant will be more likely to learn that other people can also be trusted in social relationships (Arnett 2012). Since my child was shy throughout infancy, it was important that I maintained a goodness of fit with her, meaning that I would change my parenting techniques according to Lyla’s temperament (Arnett 2012). Because Lyla was so shy, I was conscious of the situations I placed her in, making sure I didn’t throw her into anything with an overwhelming amount of new faces or other unfamiliar things. I would ease Lyla into new environments very slowly, making sure I was close by at all times so I was able to encourage and reassure her. This particular parenting choice allowed my child to maintain her secure attachment to me while simultaneously beginning to explore her own independence, using me as her safety net. As Lyla continued to grow and began to make her own decisions more often, she continued to come to me for advice and guidance just as she did when she was an infant, only now in a different context. My child’s trust in me and instinct to seek out my…