Attachment Theory
Introduction
By definition, attachment is ‘a social & emotional bond between infant & carer that spans both time & space’ (Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2010). Within developmental psychology, attachment theory originated with the work of British psychiatrist John Bowlby, who undertook extensive research into attachment in childhood.
Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
Bowlby’s work draws on years of observational psychology analysis which began during his placement at The London Child Guidance Clinic in the early 1940’s. Reviewing 44 cases of kids who displayed social difficulties, such as stealing and who were affectionless in nature Bowlby found that in all cases he could link their issues back to maternal deprivation and separation. …show more content…
(Schaffer, 1964). Building on Bowlby’s work, Schaffer identified these stages as:
Stage 1; From birth to 2 months. Instinct rules during this stage as infants will naturally direct attachment towards humans. However; all human interaction, be it from strangers or caregivers, is likely to provoke the same reaction in the …show more content…
While the child’s thinking is still egocentric, they begin to become somewhat more aware of other people’s feelings and take them into account when making decisions.
Dollard and Miller’s Theory of Attachment
In opposition to Bowlby’s evolutionary views, Dollard and Miller’s behaviourist theory of attachment suggests that attachment is a series of learned behaviours. Fundamentally, this begins with the provision of food from the caregiver which provides nourishment and thus security for the infant. This thought process extends to actions and reactions; when the infant cries it is soothed, when they smile they receive attention. Contrary to Bowlby, Dollard and Millar believe this is in fact a form of conditioning, learning that certain behaviours elicit particular responses.
Ainsworth and the Strange-Situation Test
Believing Bowlby to be correct when he suggests that attachment encourages proximity between the child and their caregiver, then we would assume attachment responses would increase as the child’s mobility increases and they begin moving away from their caregivers. And usually separation anxiety becomes apparent at the same time a child both learns to distinguish between strangers and familiar faces and crawl. This is when the infant becomes upset because they are left in the care of a stranger or simply because they aren’t in close proximity to their primary
Introduction
By definition, attachment is ‘a social & emotional bond between infant & carer that spans both time & space’ (Martin, Carlson & Buskist, 2010). Within developmental psychology, attachment theory originated with the work of British psychiatrist John Bowlby, who undertook extensive research into attachment in childhood.
Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
Bowlby’s work draws on years of observational psychology analysis which began during his placement at The London Child Guidance Clinic in the early 1940’s. Reviewing 44 cases of kids who displayed social difficulties, such as stealing and who were affectionless in nature Bowlby found that in all cases he could link their issues back to maternal deprivation and separation. …show more content…
(Schaffer, 1964). Building on Bowlby’s work, Schaffer identified these stages as:
Stage 1; From birth to 2 months. Instinct rules during this stage as infants will naturally direct attachment towards humans. However; all human interaction, be it from strangers or caregivers, is likely to provoke the same reaction in the …show more content…
While the child’s thinking is still egocentric, they begin to become somewhat more aware of other people’s feelings and take them into account when making decisions.
Dollard and Miller’s Theory of Attachment
In opposition to Bowlby’s evolutionary views, Dollard and Miller’s behaviourist theory of attachment suggests that attachment is a series of learned behaviours. Fundamentally, this begins with the provision of food from the caregiver which provides nourishment and thus security for the infant. This thought process extends to actions and reactions; when the infant cries it is soothed, when they smile they receive attention. Contrary to Bowlby, Dollard and Millar believe this is in fact a form of conditioning, learning that certain behaviours elicit particular responses.
Ainsworth and the Strange-Situation Test
Believing Bowlby to be correct when he suggests that attachment encourages proximity between the child and their caregiver, then we would assume attachment responses would increase as the child’s mobility increases and they begin moving away from their caregivers. And usually separation anxiety becomes apparent at the same time a child both learns to distinguish between strangers and familiar faces and crawl. This is when the infant becomes upset because they are left in the care of a stranger or simply because they aren’t in close proximity to their primary