Comparing John Bowlby's Theory Of Reinforcement And Conditioning

This theory says that the real –life experiences and social exposures in a child’s life directly or indirectly moulds the personality and shapes the behaviour of the child. Under this theory traditional behavioural principals of reinforcement and conditioning are focused. The basic principle of this theory says that every exchange at any moment between the child and the society including parents, family members, friends, etc are very vital. According to this theory, “if a child receives an immediate reward for his/her behaviour, such as getting parental attention or approval, then he/she is likely to do the behaviour again, whereas if she/he is ignored (or punished) then she/he is less likely to do it again.” Bugenthal et al use this theory

John Bowlby was very much interested in particularly making out the nature, meaning and function of a child’s attachment to his/her parent. The theory was formed by observation studies in clinics where children with experiences of severe disruption and depravation in care giving arrangements were admitted for counselling and treatment. But this was also applied as a model for normal and abnormal development of children. This theory is also basically deals with the issues of safety and protection of the children. It focuses on the effectiveness of the relationship in imparting emotional security to the children

Children and adolescents of authoritative parents are consistently described as most pro-social, academically and socially competent, and least symptomatic. Children whose parents are described as authoritarian, permissive and disengaged show significantly worse outcomes, with children of authoritarian parents showing typically the most disturbed adjustment of the four parenting