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Strengths of John Bowlby's attachment theory
Strengths of John Bowlby's attachment theory
Summary of john bowlby attachment theory
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John Bowlby was a psychoanalyst; Bowlby’s work was influenced by Melanie klein. He was interested in a child’s development and how a child’s growth and wellbeing can be effected by maternal deprival. Bowlby saw that attachment theory “facilitates a new and illuminating way of conceptualising the propensity of human beings to make strong affectional bonds to particular others” (Bowlby, 1980, p39). Furthermore, he felt that grief is such significant and difficult part of the human experience as well as the process of grieving. He believed that the one of the most primal fears individuals experience is separation anxiety and Bowlby interpreted the reactions of children unwilling to separate from their mothers as despair and protest as well as detachment. John Bowlby was significant in understanding the process attachments and the effect upon the …show more content…
Bowlby (1998) suggests that emotions can often be expressed as mourning. Bowlby stated that there are four general phases of mourning that include: numbing, followed by searching, yearning and numbing. He stated that if all goes well this is followed by working through disorganization and despair in order to turn to a reorganisation of themselves Bowlby characterised numbing as feelings of disbelief that the death has occurred, Further suggesting that the that the pain associated with the loss provided the grieving person with temporary relief, which may last for a brief period and is followed by emotional surges. Furthermore, he felt that when the numbness begins to fade away from the individual, the bereaved person will yearn and search and have an awareness of the loss. He also felt that bereaved individual yearning and searching involved the person having an awareness of the loss when the numbness begins to fade
All over the world and every walk of life, people experience the loss, and mourning as part of the normal life. Mourning usually occurs as a response of loss of relationship with the person, people or even animals with whom you are attached to such as death of a loved one, terminal illness, loss of your pets and animals. There are five stages of the normal grieving process: denial or isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance; the grieving process
John Bowlby and Maternal Deprivation Bowlby believed that maternal behaviour was instinctive in humans as it appears to be in animals. Mothers and their babies form an instinctive attachment to each other using genetically inherited skills such as smiling, grasping, crying and so on. If a separation occurs between mother and infant within the first few years of the child’s life, Bowlby believed that the bond would be irreversibly broken, leading to severe emotional consequences for the infant in later life. He referred to this as maternal deprivation. Bowlby claimed that maternal deprivation had the following consequences: 1.
Attachment theory focuses on the bond between a caregiver and a child and how these fragile bonds, if not attended to properly have psychological and social effects on the child’s future. The attachment process itself responds to the developing identity of the child, which is very dependent on the sensitivity and guidance of the caregiver. John Bowlby takes attachment theory in a more biological/ evolutionary perspective, in which he views these formations of bonds as a survival mechanism in which the infant ensures its survival by attaching themselves to an adult (caregiver) who can meet their needs. This take on the attachment theory suggests that parents and infants may be biologically programmed to form an attachment and that every interaction and behavior thereafter facilitates the creation of this bond (Ashford 2013, 266). On a bio-social level children look for this attachment because they are biologically wired to be related to others and be social creatures. Regardless if the attachment theory is taken through a biological,
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) challenged some of Bowlby’s claims which believed that babies have some biological need to attach to their mothers, or at least to a permanent carer. Schaffer and Emerson carried out an ethological study in Scotland which consisted of 60 babies from a working-class sector of Glasgow during the first eighteen months of their lives. They interviewed the mothers every 4 weeks and asked them several questions related to their child’s reaction when faced with a separation distress, e.g. who they smile at, who they respond to, who affects the child most when they leave and so on. Schaffer and Emerson used the results of their interviews to measure separation anxiety. They also observed how the children responded to the presence of the researchers noting how close they could get to the child before causing sings of distress (when they begin to look for their mothers, whimpering). They used these findings to measure stranger anxiety. The research showed as well that many of the children were actually attached to several people. According to Schaffer and Emerson this occurs when there is more than one person in the child’s life who took an interest in them and the infants became attached to them.
As life moves forward Jara’na’s emotional reactions interfere (from one to seven years of ages) as he starts to become reluctant towards change. This appears through the family home and social interaction when introduced into the education system. From a young age Jara’na showed advanced motor skills, independence and an excelling imagination in the family home. Bowlby’s “Attachment theory” (Psychologist World and partners, 2016) connects with Jara’nas life as this is shown through an emotional attachment towards his mother, which grew stronger and resulting in separation anxiety. This is expressed through Jara’na still at 4 months into attending child care and
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.
The Entrepreneurs I've gotten was the Jodrey Family. I will first talk about Roy A. Jodrey who was the one that started it then lead to his son John J.Jodrey.
Bowlby, the originator of attachment theory, claimed that during the child’s early age, he depends only on his mother who is his benefactor providing an environment and orientation for him; she is also his connection to the world and provides the safety he need. Upon a child’s learning of those skills, the parent transfers all those roles to the child in a slow and gradual process until he reaches maturity (Bretherton, 1992). This shows how parenting and attachment can shape the life of an infant in preparation for his adult life. Although Bowlby used mother and parent, a broader view would encompass caregivers especially in today’s American society where mothers have ceased to be stay home caregivers for their children. Therefore it is important that the rearing of a child is coupled with good parenting style to stimulate an attachment that would enhance the child development and the quality of future behaviors. Because researches shows that the combination of parenting style and temperament of the child’s determine the outcome of the child’s social-emotional and cognitive development. So in the following paragraphs will examine two different parenting styles, authoritative and indulgent parenting styles, and two different types of attachments that we might expect from their applications.
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,
Bowlby proposed that attachment behaviour between a mother and child happens when certain behavioural systems are actuated in the infant as a consequence of its interaction with its environment, primarily with the interaction of its mother. By encompassing earlier theories of ethology, development psychology and psychoanalysis (Bretherton, 1992), Bowlby developed his theory on ‘Attachment’. This essay looks at the development of ‘Attachment Theory’ since its introduction over four decades ago and how the research of Ainsworth and Main significantly supports Bowlby’s thesis. It also looks at Mahler’s theory of ‘Separation-Individuation’ and the importance of how positive attachment is necessary for the advancement of autonomy and identity. Finally, it will explore the shift in paradigms from cognitive psychology to neuropsychology and look at how attachment communication between primary caregiver and infant influences the imprinting of the orbitofrontal cortex.
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).
When we encounter the death of a loved one, it’s hard to understand and realized that the person is gone. According to Elizabeth Kubler Ross, individuals enter different stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and
Everyone has or will experience a loss of a loved one sometime in their lives. It is all a part of the cycle of life and death. The ways each person copes with this loss may differ, but according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s novel On Death and Dying, a person experiences several stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and, finally, acceptance. There is no set time for a person to go through each stage because everyone experiences and copes with grief differently. However, everyone goes through the same general feelings of grief and loss. There are also sections in Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” that connect to the process of grieving: “On Pain,” “On Joy and Sorrow,” and “On Talking.” Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” reflects on Kübler-Ross’s model of the different stages of grief and loss.
William Worden (1996) explains that grieving is the adaption to a loss. After researching Worden’s theory it is my understanding that there are four tasks a person must achieve in order for the process of mourning to be concluded and the “equilibrium to be re-established” (Worden,1996). In his theory, Worden clarifies that the tasks are in no particular order. Worden also recognizes that some individuals may have to revisit certain tasks over time, that grief is a personal experience, and that it is difficult to regulate a time frame for completing the grief tasks.
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.