Attachment theory

Attachment is “a close emotional relationship between two persons, characterised by mutual affection and a desire to maintain proximity [closeness]” (Shaffer, 1993). According to the British psychoanalyst John Bowlby, infants start to establish and develop a bond of attachment with the person that takes care of them in their first few weeks of life. The need for physical contact is more important than the feeding need, which can be proved with the famous Harlow’s test on the Rhesus monkeys, carried out in laboratory. The little monkeys, just after coming to the world, prefer the contact with a surrogate mother made of synthetic fur that gives off heat, instead of the feeding bottle given from a metal and cold surrogate mother. Like the need…

Niuean with their infants under 12 month in New Zealand. This essay focuses on the comparison in infant sleeping arrangements among different culture. Moreover, further discussion of attachment theory in which mainly focusing on Ainsworth (1979) research findings and a hypothesis on relationships between maternal behavior and infant behavior with its effect on various sleeping arrangements. Attachment theory was initially developed by British psychologist John Bowlby, by using various…

Attachment theory receives a significant amount of attention in the mental health field. In the classroom setting, psychology students learn about the early contributions of attachment theory, namely the process of developing secure or insecure attachment in the first years of life. At times, the life-long implications of the initial care giving relationships on the individual are also considered. However, significant advancements have been made in the field with multiple studies demonstrating…

Throughout this essay I will be discussing the significance of attachment theory for social work practitioners and how they can implement this to develop emotional functioning with younger children. In addition I will examine how the theory has changed and progressed since John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth first “attempts to examine the psychological effects of early relationships” ( Goldberg,2000, pg3) to more contemporary approach such as Michael Rutter’s book on “Maternal Deprivation reassessed”…

Establishing attachment is very important. “The attachment bond is the unique emotional relationship between your baby and you as his or her primary caretaker.” (helpguide.org/articles/secure-attachment/how-to-build-a-secure-attachment-bond-with-your-baby.htm). Patterns of interaction with children shape their minds and brains, leading to future relationships. Many new mothers assume that their baby is attached to them because they gave birth to them. This is a myth. Unless the mother listens to…

Discussion: The role of culture in human relationships with considerations of the implications for attachment theory. Bowbly (1959) explains the child’s emotional regulation and attachment to the primary caretaker, as a result of the caretaker’s continues responsiveness and a strategy of the child to keep the primary caretaker close to ensure survival during evolutionary times. It adapts to fit into the appropriate evolutionary niche. This internal working model creates the four main types of…

My attachment styles. Attachment theory is a psychodynamics theory postulating that the way in which an infant’s form attachment early in life with their parents affect their later relationship in life with other people especially our romantic relationship (Seccombe, 2015). This theory as put forward by Bowlby in late 1950 span through many facets of our life and disciplines such as development psychology, social psychology and neurosciences. The behavior we exhibited in our future relationship…

Social workers feel comfortable using these theories because these theories have research behind them. Lorenz research had to do with imprinting. Lorenz observed the way animals imprinted with their young and with geese imprinting on him. Bowlby researched how to do with attachment which is like imprinting. Bowlby research was seeing how children would react when children were separated from their mothers. Most children immediately reacted very scared without their mothers and would start to cry…

A*1/A2 Bowlby's theory of attachment is relevant to transitions as it identifies the effects of separation on a child however Bowlby's theory is out dated in the fact that his research was carried out after the second world war and in an age where mothers didn’t go out to work. Also Bowlby stated that the child can form an attachment with one main carer this has proven to be incorrect because Schaffer and Emerson found that children can have multiple attachments by carrying out research on…

Social workers should be aware of the many theories that can be applied in the practice. Using these theories among other things helps guide intervention, understand things across the lifespan, better understand dysfunction, and understand how many different systems interact (Thyer, Dulmus, & Sowers,2012, P.xiii). Attachment theory is no different, it helps social workers better understand issues that could be the result of dysfunctional relationships, with the possibility of these relationship…