Early Attachment Theory

This essay will compare and contrast the work of psychologists Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth. To compare and contrast will be to emphasise the similarities and differences of both Harlow and Ainsworth’s work on understanding attachment, to which they have both made great contribution. Attachment refers to the mutually affectionate developing bond between a mother and any other caregiver (Custance 2010). It is a bond in which the infant sees the caregiver as a protective and security figure. Failing to form any type of attachment during the earliest years of childhood is thought to lead to social and emotional developmental issues that can carry on well into adult life (Custance 2010). Attachment theory was formulated by psychoanalyst

Mary Ainsworth was a developmental psychologist who is most commonly known for her attachment theory. Ainsworth ran an experiment that tested toddlers ages 1 to 2, in order to test infants and their responses to strange situations. This experiment reveals which 1 of 4 attachment styles children may possess. One type of attachment is secure attachment, this occurs when a child is very attached to the mother. Typically the child will explore and engage with others when the mother is in the room, but, when the mother leaves, this child will show negative emotions. When left alone with the stranger, the child will avoid the him. Anxious-Resistant Insecure Attachment is when a child becomes irritated when the stranger appears in the room, while mother is still in the room. Even when mother leaves, the child will not explore and continue play. However, when mother comes back the child acts resentful and upset towards their mother. Anxious-Avoidant Insecure Attachment is where a child seems careless. They show little emotions whether their mother is in the room or not. They don't want to be played with or held, they act the same towards stranger as well. Lastly, Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment is when a child might be distressed when the mother leaves the room and be relieved when she comes back. However,

Mary Main was Ainssowrth student. She therefore introduced another fourth category of attachment styles with her attachment studies with adults. During her longitudinal research project alongside her colleague Goldwyn on middle class children’s attachment styles, they found that about 79% of the time attachment styles remained constant from 18 months to 6 years of age (in Brandell & Ringel, 2007,). However in their observations about 5%) that did not fit into Ainsworth’s classification of attachment styles, which they called ‘disorganized/disoriented attachment’ (Main & Solomon, 1986, 1990). These children were fearful and engaged in repetitive or aggressive behaviors. Their behaviors at reunion were unpredictable. They displayed

Attachment theory was originally proposed by Bowlby (1969) as an explanation of interpersonal relationships, with particular focus in his work on the parent-child relationships which are formed in early childhood. He noted that this was an evolutionary need within us as humans to form close attachments to improve our rate of survival (Bowlby, 1969). He later also theorized that these attachment styles would persist throughout life into adulthood (Bowlby, 1988). Further work on attachment theory by Bartholomew & Horowitz (1991) expanded on attachment styles and looked at the continuation of attachment style into adulthood. Using interviews with participants and the participants close friends they found evidence for four types of adult attachment styles: Secure, Preoccupied, Dismissing and Fearful (Bartholomew & Horowitz 1991). Further support for adult attachments styles is from Mikulincer & Shaver (2004) showing that attachments styles persist from childhood into adulthood demonstrating bowlby 's later hypothesis

Advances in technology and research methodology, have illuminated our understanding of brain development, across multiple scientific fields. What follows is a brief review of several important new understandings in contemporary attachment theory. These new understandings have been elucidated by research findings in multiple fields including epigenetics, right brain development, and the regulating versus dysregulating effects of early attachment. Finally, a number of important implications for clinical work are exemplified, by a brief discussion of the therapeutic alliance. We begin with a cursory description of early attachment theory, and several of its important positions.

The environment is which an infant is raised plays a huge part on their social, emotional, and cognitive development. The child’s experiences and interactions can help them develop the beginning skills needed to be a successful adult or teach them negative coping strategies. Attachments children make with their parents, in early childhood, becomes the standard in which they view their relationships as adults and can influence martial relationships (Wittmer & Petersen, 2014 pg. 30).

Attachment is an affectional tie that an infant forms with a caregiver—a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time [1]. Though attachment can be formed in different ways. Attachment can be used in a relationship, such as, a women growing extreme feelings for a man and the feeling is mutual, but the women begins to always wanting to be around. Though, this essay will not cover intimate relationships. This essay will be covering attachment among infants and how their stages of attachment with their caregivers.

Mary Ainsworth Theory describes attachment in building and developing relationships. Ainsworth states a securely attached child will seek comfort from their carer and feel dependent and secure when they are with them. When the child is separated from their main carer they will be distressed. Ambivalent attachment Ainsworth states is when a

The learning theory of attachment focuses of two concepts; operant and classical conditioning. Classical conditioning as an explanation for attachment describes the baby receiving food (and unconditioned stimulus) and producing an unconditioned response (happiness) and the mother feeding the baby will be the neutral stimulus. The baby will then experience the mother giving them food (and therefore happiness) a number of times and then learn to associate the mother (now a conditioned stimulus) with the feeling of happiness (a conditioned response) and thus an attachment will form. Operant conditioning describes attachment as a reinforced response. When a

Families are the first social interactions that infants and children have. Before Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist, people underestimated the importance of a parents/caregivers role on a child’s development and how that development affected their future. Ainsworth conducted a research experiment in 1978 that questioned the types of attachment styles of infants. Between Ainsworth and her colleagues they identified three different patterns. The attachment styles are secure, anxious or ambivalent, and avoidant. Each specific attachment style demonstrates specific types of adult attachment styles. Depending on which one the child was exposed to depends on which adult attachment style they will likely endure. Adult attachment styles vary from infant attachment styles in that they fearful and dismissing, preoccupied, and secure.

The pioneering methodology put forwarded by Mary Ainsworth not only paved way for empirical testing various ideas of Bowlby but it also helped in expanding the Ethological Theory of Attachment. Other than that, the innovative methodology of Ainsworth is now responsible for the new directions this theory is taking. Ainsworth has been successful in contributing the concept of the attachment figure as a sheltered foundation with the support of which an infant becomes able to explore the world. Moreover, she has also created the notion of maternal sensitivity to infant signals and the role of this sensitivity in further nurturing the infant-mother attachment patterns (Bretherton, 1992).

Bowlby and Ainsworth determined that attachment styles could be effectively differentiated into four distinct categories based on the observed attachment behaviors, behaviors that were based on the attachment characteristics. These styles, though not necessarily reflecting a true spectrum, do represent a brief array that includes a healthy schema of attachment, a severely dysfunctional schema, and two others that fall between. The styles are described by the nature of the manifestation of the characteristic.

Adopted children experience lack of emotional bonding in the United States. There are many reasons that contribute to lack of attachment. One reason is biological parental neglect that the child 's experience through the early years of life. In addition, when children live in foster homes they experience many changes throughout their lives. This change involved a change of residence, supervisor’s rules and teachers. Also, may infants have been maltreated or abused while living in foster homes. All of these changes affect the child’s life because of the multiple physical and emotional changes that the children has experienced while living in foster homes.

This essay will look at the development of attachment theory since the time of Bowlby and the many theories proposed to determine which best describes attachment. The Attachment theory highlights the importance of attachment especially between mothers and infants in regards to the infants personal development, both physically and emotionally. Bowlby describes attachment as “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings”(Bowlby, 1969, p.194). Bowlby’s attachment theory suggested that mothers and infants have a biological need to be in contact with one another and there would only be one main attachment made with the infant (Bowlby, 1968, 1988).

The theory of attachment focuses on the relationship between infant and the primary caregiver (Bowlby, 1988 as cited in Doonan & Bräuninger, 2015). In order to facilitate this bond between the two, the caregiver must be able to respond efficiently and be in tuned to the child's needs (Barcons et al., 2012). The role of the mother is to be consistent in her response to her infant and to reduce any distress the infant may feel (Bowlby, 1988 as cited Tortora, 2010). The mother picks up on what her child needs and creates the "holding environment" (Wiinnicott, 1960 as cited in Doonan & Bräuninger, 2015). It is important to note that the mother does not copy the child, but rather she is in tuned to her child's needs on both an emotional and body level, which is known as "affect attunement" (Stern, 2010 as cited in Doonan & Bräuninger, 2015).