John Bowlby's Attachment Theory And Personal Development

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Attachment theory has been describe by many psychologist as an importance of attachment in regards to personal development, stating that the ability for an individual to form an emotional and physical attachment to another person giving a sense of stability and security which is necessary in taking risks, branching out, and growth to develop one’s personality. Attachment theory is attachment theory is focused on the relationships and bonds between people, particularly long-term relationships including those between a parent and child and between romantic partners.

British psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, he described attachment as a
"lasting psychological connectedness between human beings."

Bowlby was interested …show more content…

What Bowlby observed that even feeding did not diminish the anxiety experienced by children when they were separated from their primary caregivers. Bowlby was the first to establish this. His work pave the way that childhood development depended heavily upon a child 's ability to form a strong relationship with at least one primary caregiver There are four main phases of attachment development according to Bowlby

PRE-ATTACHMENT PHASE from birth – 6 weeks at this stage the child innate response such as crying, and gazing into their caregivers eyes. This type of action encourages the carere to remain close as the closeness comforts the child. Although they are not yet attach, they are not aware of unfamiliar faces and don’t mining left. ATTACHMENT IN MAKING PHASE 6 weeks – 6 to 8 months, during this stage the infant interacts more with their caregiver and they also learns that their actions affect the behaviour of those around and begin to develop a sense of trust where they expect that the caregiver will respond when signalled with either at this stage the infant still does not protest when separated from the …show more content…

And are displaying Anxiety when separated, and will become upset when an adult whom they have come to rely leaves. Although Separation anxiety increases between 6 -15 months of age its occurrence depends on infant temperament, and the adult’s behaviour. The child will express their distress when the mother leaves but if the caregiver is supportive and sensitive then this anxiety could be short- lived.

FORMATION OF RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP 18 Months – 2 Years, With rapid growth in representation of language by 2 years the toddler is now able to understand some of the factors that influence thier parent’s coming and going and to predict their return. Thus separation protests decline. The child could negotiate with the caregiver, using requests and persuasion to alter her goals with age the child depends less on the caregiver, more confidence that the caregiver will be accessible and responsive in times of

Bowlby's Theory Of Attachment Essay
605 Words | 2 Pages
I feel Bowlby’s theory of attachment is really important in relation to supporting children through transitions. I think this because during the time I have spent in placements I have seen children bound more with a certain practitioner this is more than often their key person. Bowlby believed that ‘early attachments was very important’ (Meggitt.C et al, 2011, p80) the first ever attachment will be made within the first few months of being born. This will normally be with a parent or guardian e.g. mother, grandad. When this attachment is formed the child knows that its basic need such as shelter, food, warmth etc. Bowlby felt that if the child and attachment is separated for a short while within the first few years of its life then it could produce long term and irreversible negative effects on the child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. If this is the case placing children in a day care setting would be damaging for the children. This is why it is good to have a key person so that when they are away from their first attachment they have another attachment to a practitioner in a setting.
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555 Words | 2 Pages
Bowlby’s theory is good because in his research is clear and by reading up on his theory I have realized that is work influences every day practice. But researched showed that a child’s first attachment is usually formed with the mother. Although this idea was very influential it has also been taken further as Bowlby with Robertson found that any “disruption of attachments can be minimized by responsive substitute care”. This means that pre-school care settings need to consider this when recruiting staff. It is the quality and low turnover of staff which is important. An alternative view to Bowlby was from Schaffer and Emerson (1964) who found in their study that babies can manage multiple
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663 Words | 2 Pages
The results of the study claimed that the attachments developed over time and goes through four stages. From birth to six weeks it’s the Pre-attachment or Indiscriminate phase, the infants respond to all stimuli in the same ways and so does not have certain attachments or preferences about who they were with, towards the end of the stage the child begins to show a preference for social stimuli (e.g. smiling). Between six weeks to six months it’s the Discriminating phase, they become extremely sociable with anybody, cl...
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2463 Words | 5 Pages
In this essay I will talk about the origins of Attachment Theory John Bowlby (1958, 1960) and a discussion of the ‘Strange Situation’ (Ainsworth et al., 1978). I will consider the ethics of the study, the social- cultural perspectives on the work and I will analyse how it has influenced policy decisions and practice within the Early Years Education Sector. John Bowlby formulated the basic tenets of Attachment theory. The background to his theory is based on his work he had undertaken after he graduated from University in 1928 he went on to volunteer in a school for maladjusted children, later starting a career as a child psychiatrist (Senn, 1977). The basis of his attachment theory was that the infant or child suffered if he did not have “…a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment” (Bowlby, 1951, p. 13). In this period - post war Britain, there had been a shift in women’s roles before they had taken on many male jobs due to absence of men because of the war. However after the war, nurseries were closed and women were back at home as primary carers. This support Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation and other physiological ideas which supported that children would be negatively affected without the full time presence of the mother.
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758 Words | 2 Pages
As a mother to three children under the age of 11 that have all went through severe separation anxiety, I picked the Attachment Theory. This theory was founded by John Bowlby and was proven with more empirical evidence by Mary Ainsworth. According to the article, “In 1969, Bowlby introduces the word “attachment,” which had never appeared before in his writing” (Pallini and Barcaccia, 2014). The attachment theory found that children are biologically imprinted to develop attachments to caregivers because of genetics. The attachment theory examines the long-term and short-term social relationships that people develop. Bowlby conducted a study with infants and mother’s interactions. Bowlby found that infants have built in mechanisms to make the parent want to attach to them. A few examples are; crying, cooing, smiling, and making sound. In Bowlby study he found that there were for parts to attachment. The first happens
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2162 Words | 5 Pages
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853 Words | 2 Pages
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1798 Words | 4 Pages
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1419 Words | 3 Pages
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1224 Words | 3 Pages
Some theorist agreed with Bowlby 's attachment theory and some did not. "In addition, attachment theory underemphasises the degree to which humans can self repair. Schnarch (1999) argues that while the drive for connection is powerful in humans, it is not as strong as the need for emotional self regulation and self preservation. Attachment theorists have ignored our capacity to stabilise ourselves and our strivings for autonomy, instead focusing on interaction and believing that all soothing must be internalised from others. He cites research suggesting that parents and infants are constantly moving in and out of “synch” with each other in terms of soothing. Babies soothe themselves when mismatches occur, and even break contact when they are overstimulated by a good connection. So we may in fact self regulate at the expense of connection. Attachment is not the dominant and overriding drive but only one among several including self control and self direction." The Limitations of Attachment Theory for Adult Psychotherapy, JONATHAN NORTON ⋅ JUNE 3,
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1872 Words | 4 Pages
An infant’s initial contact with the world and their exploration of life is directly through the parent/ primary caregiver. As the child grows, learns, and develops, a certain attachment relationship forms between them and the principle adult present in this process. Moreover, this attachment holds huge implications concerning the child’s future relationships and social successes. Children trust that their parental figure will be there; as a result, children whom form proper attachments internalize an image of their world as stable, safe, and secure. These children will grow independent while at the same time maintaining a connection with their caregivers. (Day, 2006). However, when a child f...
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797 Words | 2 Pages
(Early infant attachment is an important phenomena to study as it is connected to later child development). Early infant attachment is linked to cognitive, social, and emotional development (Pallini, Baiocco, Schneider, Madigan, & Atkinson, 2014). These three developmental aspects are significant in one’s later mental process capabilities, the relationships formed later in life, as well as their psychological stability. The attachments formed with caregivers in infancy are vital. Bowlby stated, “It is our first relationship, usually with our mother, that much of our future well-being is determined” (O’Gorman, 2012). It’s crucial for a child’s development to look at parenting styles and early infant attachment classifications which are made to caregivers. Most research focuses around mother-infant attachment making little known about the relationships made with fathers.
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1752 Words | 4 Pages
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1167 Words | 3 Pages
Bowlby’s attachment theory has greatly influenced his practice. His theory of attachment explains the importance of having a figure that the child shares a strong bond with. Having an attachment can significantly support a child’s development, as Barbara Woods suggests that “his theory of attachment proposed that attachment is innate in both infants and mothers, and that the formation of this attachment is crucial for the infants development” Wood, B (2001, p.53). Bowlby believed that forming an attachment will help a child develop in all areas, e.g. emotionally, physically and mentally. However, if they did not form an attachment during the sensitive period, the child may have issues or problems in their cognitive, emotional and social development.
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