bowlbys attachment theory

Bowlby undertook his study after being influenced by ethological studies, made suggestions that infants form attachment, due to genetic programming, to a single carer (usually the mother).

Bowlby’s attachment theory has greatly influenced 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, physical and mentally. However if they did not form an attachment in the sensitive period, the child may have issues or problems in their cognitive, emotional and social development.

Precious is a movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire (Daniels and Fletcher, 2008). It is on the life of an illiterate 16 year old African American girl, Claireece “Precious” Jones. (Natividad, 2010). I have applied John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Erik Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development on the film. These theories helped identify an understanding of the characters, family group, and community in the film. I have primarily assessed Precious as the chosen character. This paper will analyze the many factors in assessing her human behavior.

Bowlby believed that babes had have built in social releasers that help form attachment, for example, crying and smiling. These would stimulate responses in caregivers. Bowlby also suggested that the infant would form only one primary attachment, and that this attachment would act as a secure base for exploring the world. This theory was also backed up by Mary Ainsworth ‘The Strange Situation’, Eysenck (2000). Another conclusion in Bowlbys attachment theory was that there was a sensitive period; a period were imprinting was important. This would affect attachment and have lifelong consequences. He

Very early will a child will attach to its caregiver, “because she fed the infant”(McLeod). At this stage the parent's behavior is becoming imprinted onto the child, and the child will continue to see their parent as their primary caregiver, and therefore, their role model as well. Bowlby’s theory of attachment relates strongly to the social learning theory. They both deal with people, whether it be infant or adult, learning and conforming to certain roles placed upon them. The infant will almost ‘study’ the parent, learning the rules the parent puts in place, and the adult will look to the majority as their parent, and conforms to their beliefs.

John Bowlby had worked with residential school children as a volunteer early on in his career and had determined that the children who suffered the most from anger outbursts, aggressivity, and whom her termed “affectionless” were also the children who had suffered the most maternal deprivation (). Bowlby advanced that the loss of the mother figure was extremely distressing and damaging and could influence adults' behavior years later. Hence, where psychoanalysis had been concerned “solely with the imaginings of the childish mind, the fantasied pleasures and the dreaded retributions” (Fonagy), Bowlby showed that humans do not develop in a void or as “individual monads” but as members of interacting systems. Bowlby developed his theory on attachment for several decades, and at a time where any dealings with childhood trauma were still rigorously influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis through the likes of psychoanalysts such Anna Freud or Melanie Klein. Even Winnicott was “revulsed” upon reading Bowlby's papers (siegel). It certainly was a bitter pill to swallow for psychoanalysts who had been repeating since Freud that the newborn was a little tyrant fighting for oral gratification at the mother's breast and merely clinging on to fulfil sexual instinctual needs. Bowlby's work was thus eschewed for a considerable time, despite his involvement with the World Health Organisation and the considerable empirical weight that was added to his findings by Mary Ainsworth's studies in

Bowlby’s theory of attachment (1969), Looked, how monotropy was used in young infants, within “proximity between infant and caregiver”. (Cardwell et al 2003). Observing Lorenz’ (1935), how the geese behaved by imprinting the first moving thing once hatched. Lorenz, discovered the behaviour was prolonged, after the geese followed their, mother became “safe from predators, and fed”. (Cardwell et al 2003).

By observing the type of play, constructional or sensory, occurring themes, disruptions, whether play is initiated and maintained, engagement and self-perception, enables the therapist to devise a hypothesis and determine developmental stage of the child. Also, how a child presents in the therapeutic relationship can determine their type of attachment. Bowlby believed a child’s emotional and behavioural development related to their early attachment with the caregiver (Bowlby, 1988). Therefore, a child who is content and relaxed is deemed to have a secure attachment, whereas a child who keeps their distance and is dismissive points to an anxious- avoidant attachment (Bowlby, 1988). 5.

8. Bowlby developed the attachment theory. He defined his theory as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” Bowlby believed that suggests infants are “biologically predisposed to form attachments with primary caregivers in early life.” The infant's means of attachment aids the infant in feeling more safe, secure and “increases their likelihood of survival.” Caregivers are a secure base. Harlow proposed the idea of contact comfort. The idea of contact comfort was shown with the rhesus monkey experiment. The monkeys were given two surrogate mothers, one of cloth and one of wire. Because of the cloths comfort, monkeys were most likely to be attached to that “mother”, even if the other “mother” of only wire was providing food. Harlow also concluded that if a monkey was isolated from their mother for a prolonged period of time that the monkey would show autistic characteristics. Ainsworth’s also made discoveries of her own when

After the death of my husband, I have watched my children grapple with grief. At times it seems as if they are in a tug-of-war with God. Losing a loved one has always been a part of life and eventually everyone will go through a time when they will have to grapple with grief. The death of a father at any age can be devastating, but when children lose their father at a young age their feelings of security disappear. If children lose their attachment to their father they are left wondering if they can even trust to put that attachment somewhere else due to the fear of losing it again. Children grieve differently than adults.

Bowlby believes that babies produce innate behaviours and mothers produce innate responses. Malaki developed an attachment with her mum due to mum’s positive responses, beside this, Malaki sees his mum as a secure base to explore the world and ensures safety. This is supported by a case study carried out by Harlow who believes that infants develop a strong attachment with mothers who provide comfort and security rather than those who provide them with food. (Malim et al.,

Bowlby's Attachment Theory Findings form animal studies were a powerful influence on Bowlby's thoughts. He suggested too that there was a critical period for the development of attachments between infant and care giver. According to Bowlby infants display an innate tendency to become attached to one particular individual. He called this monotropy. He suggested this tendency was qualitatively different from any subsequent attachment a child might form.

John Bowlby’s attachment theory established that an infant’s earliest relationship with their primary caregiver or mother shaped their later development and characterized their human life, “from the cradle to the grave” (Bowlby, 1979, p. 129). The attachment style that an infant develops with their parent later reflects on their self-esteem, well-being and the romantic relationships that they form. Bowlby’s attachment theory had extensive research done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the mother-infant interactions specifically regarding the theme of an infant’s exploration of their surrounding and the separation from their mother in an experiment called the strange situation. Ainsworth defined the four attachment styles: secure,

Findings from animal studies were a powerful influence on Bowlby 's thoughts. He suggested too that there was a critical period for the development of attachments between infant and care giver. According to Bowlby, children display an innate tendency to become attached to one particular individual. He called this monotropy. He suggested this trend was qualitatively different from any subsequent attachment a child might form. However, he did not suggest monotropy was absolute but that the child has a hierarchy of attachments.

The absence of a paternal figure will be a recurring theme throughout this review, with divorce a situation that commonly takes place is the decrease in the involvement of the parent that did not receive custody of the children, the mother almost always receives full custody of the children. This can result in the decreased presence of the father over a period of time, sometimes resulting in the presence becoming extinct all together. The importance of paternal involvement can be argued to be equally important to both genders, however based on the upcoming research, the presence of the father is critical to the development of healthy interaction females from divorced families have with the males in which they try and establish relationships