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Strength to bowlbys attachment theory
Describe bowlbys theory of attachment
Describe bowlbys theory of attachment
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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.
Some day care can be beneficial for the children as they offer great facilities and have positive effects on the child rather than having negative effects. Day care is not a replacement of a family it is there to work with the family and complement the
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family life. Having a key worker can have a positive impact on parents because if the child has a specific need/illness the parent will only have to communicate and pass the information on to one person instead of telling a multiple of different practitioners which could become annoying for the parent. The key worker system is a good way to help children settle into a setting as they will be forming an attachment and becoming secure with a person within the setting. This can be a negative think as if the child is really secure with their key person and their key person leaves or goes on holiday this could cause the child to take steps back in their development.
However in my setting a key person for a few children left but because the children where advanced in their development their key worker leaving didn’t affect them. I think this is because they feel comfortable in the setting with or without their key person being there. This can be improved if the children a prepared for when their key person leave so that it doesn’t come as a surprise to them and cause a lot of
disruption. To prepare the children for this the key person could sit with the child and explain to their level so they are made aware. Another practitioner could be introduced to the child to work closely with them to take the role of the key person while he/she is away. In my setting there is a little girl who doesn’t attend the setting regularly but when she is in the setting her attachment isn’t formed to her allocated key person, instead she is attached to another practitioner. When the this child is in school she rarely talks to her key person and she finds it difficult to let her key person change her nappy, instead the other practitioner has to do so not to make the child upset and unsettled. This can be improved by allowing the child to maintain their attachment with the other practitioner but the key person working closely with the practitioner to pass on information and keep the key person involved as much as possible.
The influence of Bowlby’s attachment theory is relevant when dealing with transitions because it has informed people and practitioners about the importance of attachment and the key worker system. Bowlby’s attachment theory evolved to ensure children are protected and for their survival to be increased. Bowlby believed that a child’s first attachment is built quite early on and is normally formed with the mother. This relationship between the mother and the baby is the template for relationships in the future. It provides the child with an internal working model. If the child’s first attachment doesn’t have a positive effect then this can result in the child finding it difficult to form other attachments with practitioners, family members and friends. If the first attachment is secure and strong the child will be able to build relationships with other people without having a problem. According to Bowlby the cognitive development of the child is affected when early attachment is formed because it provides a secure base for exploration. Although Bowlby’s theory has a lot of positive aspects other theorists have research that disagrees with his work. Schaffer & Emerson
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.
For example, Magai & Passman (1997) discovered a strong relationship between secure attachments and emotional well-being of middle aged adults, which extends to individuals later in life. Understanding the role of attachment and its psychosocial impact during later life is an important area that needs further research. In regards to TMT, close relationships offer security, protection, and give meaning to life (Mikulincer, Florian, & Hirschberger, 2003).
Parents are always questioning whether they would like to have any more children someday. One of the aspects parents think about in this decision is child care. Child care can be pricey and the quality of the child care is also something to think about as well. Parents want their child to grow up and become very successful in life. Choosing a daycare from infant on, is part of the process to becoming successful as they grow. For one to add on to the family they need to think about the quality of child care, the price of child care, and attention of care: how their child will be raised. High-quality child care should be provided at public expense to all working parents!
Behaviour patterns learnt in childhood relationships are unconsciously acted out in relationships as an adult. Therefore in parent-child relationships the parents often re-enact with their children the type of relationship they had with their own parents (Lewis, 1996). Bowlby’s attachment theory states that parenting behaviour, thoughts and feelings are influenced and shaped by previous experiences with their own parents (Bianco & Calvo, 2015). Through transference and projection these conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings from childhood determine how parents treat to their own children (Berlin, 2002).
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.
Bowlby 's attachment theory is used a lot in settings as children gain strong bonds with the teachers and key workers in the setting. Having a secure attachment in the setting can have a variety of positive or negative impacts on the child depending on how emotionally attached they are. A strength of the attachment theory is that by children gaining attachment with their key worker it can help the practitioner support the child and meet their needs in the setting. By a child having an attachment to their key worker it can help their development as they are more engaged with the staff. Again research has shown that the quality of a child’s learning and the development of resilience can depend on the quality of their relationships both with their
John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, he describes attachment as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings” (Bowlby, 1969, p.194), he believed that the earliest bonds that were formed between child and caregiver has a huge impact that continues throughout the infants life. Attachment is said to help keep the infant close to their mother, so it improves the child’s chance of survival.
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 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. “Attachment is as essential for the child’s psychological well-being as food is for physical health claimed Bowlby” Wood, B (2001, p.54). Bowlby claimed in this statement that attachment is a necessary thing which a child needs in order to develop healthily.
Most people find that there is no one that knows you better than you know yourself. We know our hopes, wishes and dreams better than anyone else, even our own parents, and we know what we are willing to do to get them. I chose to write about myself for this very reason. I believe that I know myself well enough to be able to analyze myself and understand why I am the way that I am.
The Effects of Day Care As more and more mothers are entering or returning to the workforce, the demand for good quality crèches, nurseries and childminders is growing rapidly. This section considers the effect that day care has on the children's cognitive and social development. Important: It is very difficult to generalise the effects of day care because the quality and types vary so widely and research studies only sample a small section of this variation. Generalisation is also difficult because most of the research is carried out in the USA, which means that the findings may not be relevant in other cultures.
Attachment theory has undergone formidable research by psychologists in effort to understand various aspects of human behavior and how they extend to future relationships and activities. As far as the human relationship is concerned, John Bowlby, a 1960's psychologist, comprehensively studied human attachments. Bowlby believed that when it came to adult human affection bonds, the relationship with the person's mother determined the quality and ability of one to form such bonds. This paper seeks to shed light on Bowlby's theories regarding the understanding of how relationships are formed. Understanding Bowlby's attachment theory will help afford the opportunity to make predictions on what determines a potential partner in a relationship,
The idea of taking children to day-care is unacceptable by a good number of people. They probably think this way, because daycare involves putting someone else in the ‘parenting’ picture; as far as spending time with, and caring for the child is concerned. However, this is not exactly negative. This is because day-care provides care for little children while their parents attend to other matters, such as attending school or working to earn a living. It is important for those people who discourage day care to realize that not all parents can afford to stay at home with their children all day, as much as they would like to. This is because they need to attend to other pressing matters. In the end, the child benefits from this as the living earned by the parent during this time, or even education earned during this time, will benefit the child in future.
Therefore when observing childrenâ€TMs abilities we need to be careful in how we measure them, as we may not be observing all that they are capable of due to environmental circumstances that prevent them from showing their full potential. Attachment theory When considering attachment theory, everyone automatically thinks of Bowlby, and his theories on attachment and on maternal deprivation have been some of the most influential writings on the topic. Bowlby did however concentrate on the bond between mother and child, but as we