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Bowlby's attachment theory strengths and weaknesses
Bowlby's attachment theory strengths and weaknesses
Bowlby's attachment theory strengths and weaknesses
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The aim of this assignment is to provide a critical analysis of theory in relation to psychological and emotional impact and its application to social work. I will look at the psychological and emotional impacts in relation to discriminatory and oppressive constructions in order to develop and demonstrate my understanding of social work within a multicultural diverse society. I have chosen internal working model and within this attachment theory as a psychological theory, widely used within social work. For the purpose of this assignment I will focus upon Bowlby as the main theorist. ‘for each person there are always two realities –external and internal. External reality is experienced in terms of the individual’s internal reality, which in turn is shaped by past experience and a continuing tendency to see the present in terms of the past.’ Casement, P. (1985) In order to understand the internal and external world of individuals it is essential to understand the impact of attachment as this greatly influences assessment, understanding of individual experiences and circumstance from a social work perspective therefore is seen as a as a key theoretical perspective. ‘different attachment experiences generate particular internal working models..’ Howe, D. (1999) Having adapted the theory of internal working model of social relationships from the work of philosopher Kenneth Clark, Bowlby’s attachment theory has had an influential, fundamental impact upon social work becoming a key theoretical perspective as a cornerstone to personnel development. Schofield (2000) noted the significance of the theory in informing child care decision making as it is widely used within the assessment process; therefore it is essenti... ... middle of paper ... ...Attachment Theory, Child Maltreatment and Family Support’ London: Macmillan press. Lee , N (2001) Childhood and Society. Open University Press Mercer, J. (2006). Understanding Attachment. Westport, CT: Praeger Miller, P. M. (2000) Developmental Issues for Young Children in Foster Care, Pediatrics, 106, p 1145-1150. Rutter (1981) Maternal Deprivation Reassessed, Second edition, Harmondsworth, Penguin. Rutter, M. (1979) Attachment and the Development of Social Relationships, in Scientific Foundations of Developmental Psychiatry, London: Heineman. Schaffer R (2007) "Introducing Child Psychology". 2007. Oxford: Blackwell. Schofield , G. (2000) Growing up in Foster Care, London: British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering. Simm, M. (1991) Foster Children and the Foster Care System, part II: Impact on the child. Current Problems in Paediatrics, 21, p345-369.
The theory of attachment was developed by John Browbly, a British psychologist who demonstrated that infants are born with preprogrammed to bond with their significant person, a primary caregiver. Once the infant develops the emotional attachment with caregiver, infant will consider them as the secure base where they feel protected and se...
One challenge young adult’s face after aging out of foster care is being provided the health care that they need. According to Paula K Jaudes and the American Academy of Pediatrics, children in foster care suffer from various health issues such as “developmental delays, mental retardation, emotional adjustment problems, chronic medical problems, birth defects, substance abuse, and pregnancy” (1170). It is unknown why children in care are at a higher risk for these problems, but numerous medical professionals believe it is caused by the circumstances that led them being put into foster care, and the experiences they had while in care (Jaudes 1170). Despite being inclined to face more medical problems than teenagers who grew up in nuclear families, there is a lack of support to help take care of these teens. One study conducted by...
John Bowlby, 1969 ‘Attachment and Loss’ in Johnson, J and De Souza, C (2nd Edition) Understanding Health and Social Care: In Introductory Reader, London, Sage/Milton Keynes, The Open University
John Bowlby (1907 – 1990) was a British psychologist most known for his work developing Attachment Theory. Bowlby initially graduated in 1928 at age 21 from Trinity College at Cambridge going on to gain various postgraduate degrees. It was not until 1946 that the beginnings of his theory were laid down when he joined the Tavistock Insititue, researching the effects on young children when separated from primary caregivers (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016). Bowlby’s work was gradual with his theory slowly developed with three main papers published in 1958, 1960 and 1963 that outlined his Attachment Theory (Holmes, 1993).
When having a key worker John Bowlby is a good theorist to use as a guideline to promote the child in development and to make the child feel more secure within the setting. The attachment theory is one of the main aspects within the child’s settling in process and their ability to interact and form positive relationships with others around them. Bowlby’s and Maslow’s theory are both used in childcare settings and in
I was asked to write a report on a topic that I thought I would learn from by Kirstie Egner. I chose to do it on John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment to enhance my knowledge and understanding of this subject area. This report is to be represented to the rest of my college group on 25th November 2016.
Sroufe, L.A., & Waters, E. (1977). Attachment as an organizational construct. Child Development. 48, 1-5, 7, 10-12.
He believed that a close relationship with the mother or mother figure is essential for a child’s mental and emotional well-being and that the relationship should be one that is warm and intimate (Bowlby, 1974). Bowlby’s theory of attachment has continued to develop and is used within early years practice today. This essay aims to look further at Bowlby’s theory of attachment, making significant links to current research and
Bowlby 's attachment theory is used a lot in settings as children gain strong bonds with the teachers and key workers in the setting. Having a secure attachment in the setting can have a variety of positive or negative impacts on the child depending on how emotionally attached they are. A strength of the attachment theory is that by children gaining attachment with their key worker it can help the practitioner support the child and meet their needs in the setting. By a child having an attachment to their key worker it can help their development as they are more engaged with the staff. Again research has shown that the quality of a child’s learning and the development of resilience can depend on the quality of their relationships both with their
Psychologist, Mary Ainsworth expanded upon Bowlby's original work. She conducted a study labelled the ‘Strange Situation’. In the study, based upon the children’s reactions, Ainsworth described three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. Work by Stroufe and Waters in 1977, further supported Ainsworth's attachment styles and have indicated that attachment styles also have an impact on behaviours later in life (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Researchers have found strengths in attachment patterns established early in life can lead to a number of outcomes. For example, children who are securely attached as infants tend to develop stronger self-esteem and better self-reliance as they grow older. These children also tend to be more independent, perform better in school, have successful social relationships, and experience less depression and anxiety (Birns, 1999, p. 13).
In conclusion, the need for Social Workers to understand theories relating to attachment and loss is important. Each theory explained has a contribution to understanding an individual if used in practice. Also Social Workers have to work to social policy, this means working to the legislations guidelines and activities which promote human well-being. It also means dealing with issues such as culture and discrimination. Social workers working by this will be able to provide the support an individual needs to deal with situations such as insecure attachments at a young age or losses which have occurred throughout their lives. After all how we are brought into the world determines how we leave.
Attachment theory has had some very powerful theorists that have come up with these ideologies. In 1969, John Bowlby was the first theorist to develop the attachment theory. It is a theory developed to explain the emotional ties that children had with their parents or caregivers. It was believed that a child’s attachment style with a caregiver was developed throughout childhood and influenced how an individual interacts with society. It also gave an indication on what their parenting styles might be like, although this was not always a concrete indication. Bowlby’s theory provided the basis on which Mary Ainsworth also worked on and developed. In the 1970’s Ainsworth developed and conducted the “strange situation” experiment, which proved to be very influential to the development of attachment theory. She identified four patterns of attachment referred to as secure attachment, avoidant attachment, ambivalent attachment and the more recently added disorganised attachment (Westen, Burton, & Kowalski, 2006, p. 501) The theory of attachment is very important as this is when children form and develop a secure and trusting bond in the first year of life to develop normal relationships in later life (Bowlby, 1988). In this assignment I am going to create three different scenarios and relate them to the three different attachment styles. These scenarios will demonstrate the varying characteristics displayed from each attachment style and the affects they might have in later life. I will also look at some of the critiques within the attachment theory.
This essay will firstly explain the different stage that is associated with development of young people socially in the early years of their life, with examples of Schaffer and Emerson’s theory of stages of attachment. Next the essay will evaluate the theories of attachment between a child and their parents/guardians, evaluating Bowlby’s theory of attachment, and using examples from Freud’s ‘cupboard love theories’ and behavioural and psychoanalytic perspectives in comparison to Bowlby. Next it will look at any contributing factors that make a difference to individuals during attachment and looking at way fear and anxiety play a part during separation for children from their primary carer. After which the essay will respond to Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation, and look into any long term consequences that occur due to a result of this.
Foster children come into care and within an agency with no knowledge of what’s going to happen to them. The social workers for child welfare drop the foster children off at a strange home or office without a formal introduction. Some many of the children are irate, heart broken or scare beyond measures. This training program will help the foster care agency and employees to make available new skills that will relieve foster children of fear, chaos and uncertainty. .
Children who have refined positive relationships and a secure attachment based on the background with caregivers, show good views of the self and seek intimacy with relationships (Kachadourian et al., 2004, cited in Merz and Jak, 2013). Infants usually go through a distressed situation when separated from their primary caregivers due to being emotionally attached to them (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980, cited in Hazan and Shaver, 1987). Bowlby’s (1979, cited in Hazan and Shaver, 1987) theory of attachment was shown through a series of observation research. He found that when an infant is detached from their caregivers, in this case, their mother, they would go through a tough time via emotional reactions. These included protest, despair, and detachment. Ainsworth et al. (1978, cited in Hazan and Shaver, 1987) also found attachment styles like Bowlby; these were found through observation from a laboratory experiment. The three attachment types include a secure attachment and insecure attachment, which is divided into two: ambivalent and