John Bowlbys Attachment Theory Essay - 2161 Words

John Bowlby’s attachment theory established that an infant’s earliest relationship with their primary caregiver or mother shaped their later development and characterized their human life, â€Å"from the cradle to the grave† (Bowlby, 1979, p. 129). The attachment style that an infant develops with their parent later reflects on their self-esteem, well-being and the romantic relationships that they form. Bowlby’s attachment theory had extensive research done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the mother-infant interactions specifically regarding the theme of an infant’s exploration of their surrounding and the separation from their mother in an experiment called the strange situation. Ainsworth defined the four attachment styles: secure,†¦show more content†¦An infant with a secure attachment style has a natural bond with their parent, where they are able to trust them, at the same time leaving their side to discover and explore their surroundin gs. In an insecure/resistant attachment the relationship the child has with their mother or caregiver is very clingy, thus making them very upset once the caregiver is away. When the mother or caregiver is back they are not easily comforted and resist their effort in comforting them. In an insecure/avoidant attachment the infant is, â€Å"indifferent and seems to avoid the mother, they are as easily comforted by a stranger, as by their parent† (Siegler 2011, p.429). Lastly, the disorganized/disoriented attachment is another insecure attachment style in which the infant has no way of coping with stress making their behavior confusing or contradictory. Through these brief descriptions of the attachment theory, many researchers have defined the turning point in which each attachment definition can have an influence on one’s self esteem, well-being and their marital relationship. Since the attachment theory provides a fundamental framework of an infant’s development from womb to tomb, this research can be used to characterize specific behavior that a person may develop from childhood throughout adulthood. In Huis in ‘t VeldShow MoreRelatedJohn Bowlbys Theories of Attachment Theory949 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Bowlby had worked with residential school children as a volunteer early on in his career and had determined that the children who suffered the most from anger outbursts, aggressivity, and whom her termed â€Å"affectionless† were also the children who had suffered the most maternal deprivation (). Bowlby advanced that the loss of the mother figure was extremely distressing and damaging and could influence adults behavior years later. Hence, where psychoanalysis had been concerned â€Å"solely with theRead MoreJohn Bowlbys Path to Developing the Attachment Theory Essay593 Words   |  3 Pagesmany different theories on this subject, but a well-known theory is the Attachment Theory written by John Bowlby in the mid-twentieth century. John Bowlby born on February 26, 1907, was a twentieth century psychologist who contributed too many modern day psychoanalytic theories. At a young age he hardly saw his mother due to the fact that she believed, like many other mothers at that time, affection and attention would lead to spoiling of the child. So he developed a deep attachment to his nanny sinceRead MoreAttachment Theory Essay1152 Words   |  5 PagesChris Livoti 3/5/13 IB Psychology Mrs. Urso John Bowlby is the pioneer of the attachment theory and worked with children who had been separated from their parents during World War 2. He observed that many of these children developed emotional problems, and he made the connection that the emotional problems stemmed from the separation from the mother. Bowlby was born in London to an upper class family, and would rarely see, and interact with hisRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1581 Words   |  7 Pagesoccur in the prenatal development, infancy and childhood, as new-borns develop into young adulthood capable of becoming a parent themselves. This assignment will discuss the developmental stage of a chosen child scenario and apply to John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. It will also discuss the key safeguarding issues within the child scenario and how they could have been prohibited. Scenario The chosen child scenario for this assignment is Paul (see appendix). Paul is six years of age and is theRead MoreAttachment : A Deep And Enduring Emotional Bond1313 Words   |  6 Pages Attachment: An Analysis â€Å"Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space’’ Mary Ainsworth (1973) In this essay I will explore the meaning and purpose of attachment and discuss research into attachment concentrating on John Bowlby’s 1944 â€Å"44 thieves† study conducted to test his maternal deprivation theory and Schaffer Emerson’s 1964 â€Å" Glasgow babies† study. There are twoRead MoreRelation: Infant Mother Attachment and Eating Disorders1510 Words   |  7 Pagescorrelate the links between infant mother attachment and eating disorder behavior. Throughout this paper the two main theorists that are looked at are Mary S. Ainsworth and John Bowlby. Mary S. Ainsworth’s framework of attachment theory began in Uganda, while studying individual difference in infant behavior, which is known as the Strange Situation. John Bowlby coined the theory of infant mother attachment based on object relations psychoanalytical theory and the conceptualization that infants needRead MoreThe Primary Focus Of Educational Psychology765 Words   |  4 Pageschild’s educational achievement such as pre-natal development, caregiver attachment, culture, household make-up, economics, cognitive ability, and environment to name a few. Several theorists can impact the practices of Educational Psychology, two in particular are Urie Bronfenbrenner and John B owlby. With either of their theories in mind, looking at the child as an individual is non-existent. Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecologial Theory describes development as an interaction between people, physical environmentRead MoreJohn Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment1439 Words   |  6 PagesThis report will be about John Bowlby and his theory of attachment plus criticisms and how these come into effect in practice and legislation. Edward John Mostyn Bowlby was born February 27th 1907 and died September 2nd 1990. He was born in London to a middle class family. He was mostly taken care of by his nanny because his parents believed that spending too much time with him could lead to him becoming a spoilt child. At age 7 he was sent to boarding school by his parents. After finishing boardingRead MoreBowlby’s Attachment Theory Essay example1156 Words   |  5 PagesBowlby’s attachment theory has greatly influenced practice. His theory of attachment explains the importance of having a figure that the child shares a strong bond with. Having an attachment can significantly support a child’s development as Barbara Woods suggests that â€Å"his theory of attachment proposed that attachment is innate in both infants and mothers, and that the formation of this attachment is crucial for the infants development† Wood, B (2001, p.53). Bowlby believed that forming an attachmentRead MoreBowlbys Theo ry of Attachments854 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Bowlby’s Theory Attachment is a strong and emotional bond that develops over time between two individuals that is reciprocal. 1. THE THEORY * Bowlby’s theory suggests that attachment is evolutionary and is needed to aid survival. * He did observational research to link orphans with psychological damage. * Babies are helpless and rely on adults. They make instinctive decisions because they haven’t actually learnt anything yet. Bowlby said that babies must be genetically programmed