Theories Of Attachment

This essay is going to look at the different theories of attachment, as well as the concepts that are associated with them. It will also discuss how attachment has changed but continues to be a crucial part of a child’s development. Attachment is a key part of developmental psychology and was introduced by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth who made an influential contribution in terms of the importance of attachment in relation to contemporary children’s settings ie nursery’s.
Attachment is a tie between two people in which is strong and provides a sense of security and commitment in which that child is able to develop and grow in. Within an attachment, allows the primary needs of the child to be met, for example when the child is hungry the …show more content…
This is widely known as ‘The Strange Situation’. This experiment consisted of a child and their caregiver as well as a stranger being based in a room for twenty minutes, however, the stranger and the caregiver were not in the room at the same time unless a reaction occurred from the child. Ainsworth wanted to see how attachment is tested once a stranger enters the room without the care giver being present. The experiment was tested on different children to see what their behaviour was like once their caregiver was not present and a stranger was in the room with them, in which allowed Ainsworth to see what kind of attachment was formed. From that experiment, there are three main attachments, and they include: Secure Attachment, Insecure Attachment, and Insecure Ambivalent/Resistant Attachment. …show more content…
However, when Bowlby and Ainsworth conducted their research was in a time where it was common for mothers to stay at home and look after their child making the attachment process a lot more likely to occur. Nowadays attachment between a child could be with anyone that they are close to, but the attachment is a lot more important for their development then who the attachment is