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The strengths and weaknesses of attachment theory by bowlby
John bowlby attachment theory case study
John bowlby attachment theory case study
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1.O BACKGROUND
This report has been written to help me achieve my communications unit within the course NC Early Education and Childcare.
2.0 TERMS OF REFERENCE
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.
3.O PROCEDURES
For this report I will be using research methods of –
1. My own notes taken from lectures
2. Books from the college library
3. Internet research
4.O FINDINGS
BIOGRAPHY
John Bowlby (born on 26th February, London) was a British psychiatrist who was best
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Bowlby believed that children’s behaviours and mental health evolved from an unsettled / problematic early childhood. John Bowlby was from an upper middle class family and was raised by a nanny. As it was traditional for a family of his social status, Bowlby went to a boarding school. Whilst at boarding school he suffered from maternal deprivation and lack of affection, his childhood experience is what let him to study and develop theories on child development.
BOWLBY’S MATERNAL DEPRIVIATION THEORY
Bowlby’s proposed that children should not be ‘deprived’ from contact with their mother during the period where the primary attachment with the parent is being formed. He suggested that ‘mother love in infant and childhood is as important for mental health as are vitamins and proteins for physical health’ (Smith, Cowie
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CRITISISMS OF BOWLBY’S THEORY OF ATTACHMENT
Many theorists after John Bowlby support elements of his theory of attachment, some have pointed out flaws / missing elements that they believe to be important when looking at attachment. Bowlby did not deny that children form more than one attachment to figures other than their mother but his research focused primarily on the mother figure.
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) noted that shortly after children formed their first attachment to their mother, they quickly after that became attached to figures other than their mother and by 18 months old children were not only attached to one figure and some had 5 or more
Bowlby was concerned with issues such as: separation distress and the effect of ‘maternal deprivation’ on later development. He argued that maternal separation was a traumatic experience for infants and if infants unsuccessfully established a secure attachment by the age of three they could become pathological and suffer psychological problems (Burman, 1994). Bowlby’s theory was independent on ethology and he was largely associated with Harry Harlow and his experiments with rhesus monkeys (Burman, 1994) and Lorenz’s (1935) research on imprinting on geese.
Evaluation of Bowlby’s contribution ----------------------------------- Bowlby's ideas had far-reaching effects, leading to a much more child-centred approach by many institutions and organisations. It... ... middle of paper ... ...
In conclusion to transitions, many people would believe and follow Bowlby's attachment theory as I believe that if children do not have strong positive relationships with their primary care giver from birth, then they will be unable to form relationships smoothly in the future. However, an alternative view to this is Bronfen Brenner's model that states that it is not just about the support and relationships a child or young person has from their family, it is a balance of nature and nurture and believed that the child is surrounded by four concentric circles which each represent a different factor that influences and the child. The first circles work from the inside out, the first is the 'Microsystem' which represents the child's immediate family and surroundings which would be the main support and relationships.
The attachment theory, presented by Mary Ainsworth in 1969 and emerged by John Bowlby suggests that the human infant has a need for a relationship with an adult caregiver, and without a subsequent, development can be negatively impacted (Hammonds 2012). Ainsworth proposes that the type of relationship and “attachment” an infant has with the caregiver, can impact the social development of the infant. As stated by Hammonds (2012), attachment between a mother and a child can have a great impact on the child 's future mental
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
Criticisms of attachment theory have come mainly from the feminist schools of thought since the theory has been used to argue that no woman with a young child should work outside the home or spend time away from her baby (Goodsell and Meldrum, 2010). Children’s experience and development also depend on what happens after early years, whether bad or good later in life may change a child’s emotional development, e.g. lack of basic needs, diet, education, stimulation such as play might affect a child’s development (Rutter, 1981). Differences in cultures have to be taken into consideration as well. A study by Schaffer and Emmerson (1964) provided contradictory evidence for Bowlby’s attachment theory. They noted attachment was more prominent at eight months, and afterwards children became attached to more than one person.
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.
In his original thesis, Bowlby (1969) never formalized an extension of his theory of attachment beyond childhood, but he clearly implied an extension should be sought. Perhaps his clearest statements regarding this extension involved his suggestions that people change to whom they are primarily attached as they age. He argued that in adolescents it was likely that peers played an increasingly important role in their attachment lives, and in adulthood, people would become primarily attached to a spouse or mate. Only in the last thirty years have scholars made a serious attempt to extend the ideas in attachment theory to adult relationships. One influential attempt came from Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) assertion that the attachment system is at least partially responsible for the adult romantic bond. Indeed multiple parallels have been drawn between the behavior in infant-caregiver interactions and adult romantic partner interactions. Zeifman and Hazan (1997) offer a fairly extensive account of the commonalities in adult romantic and infant-caregiver attachment. They note that cer...
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, insecure/resistant, insecure/avoidant and disorganized/disoriented, later leading to research studies done to observe this behavior and how it affects a child in their adolescence and adulthood.
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,
John Bowlby’s (1907-1990) pioneering work on AT uncovered many underlying connections between a caregiver and an infant which were necessary for the child’s survival. Bowlby became interested in finding out about the patterns of family
To understand the attachment theory, we must understand a clear definition of what attachment is. According to merriam-webster.com attachment is the physical connection by which one thing is attached to another. From my point of view, attachment is the lasting bond between child/children to their belonging primary caregiver.
Attachment theory is the idea that a child needs to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver. The theory proved that attachment is necessary to ensure successful social and emotional development in an infant. It is critical for this to occur in the child’s early infant years. However, failed to prove that this nurturing can only be given by a mother (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Many aspects of this theory grew out of psychoanalyst, John Bowlby’s research. There are several other factors that needed to be taken into account before the social worker reached a conclusion; such as issues surrounding poverty, social class and temperament. These factors, as well as an explanation of insecure attachment will be further explored in this paper.
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.
The attachment theory describes the development of consistent standards in childhood that influence the individual throughout his lifetime. Many important researchers developed individually different points of this theory. It will become one of key concepts and researchers who founded and developed further this theory.