John Bowlby Attachment Theory

he Attachment Theory was first explored by psychoanalyst John Bowlby. Throughout his studies, Bowlby sought an answer for not only how attachment evolved over the years to encourage preservation but also how these early relationships affect us later in life. Bowlby theorized that in the early stages of childhood, beginning in infancy, children exhibit behaviors to encourage a parent to become attached. Starting with the idea that these behaviors evolved over many years to essentially ensure self-preservation, Bowlby stated that parents were also predisposed to forming an attachment as well. Some of the behaviors babies exhibit in order to make themselves appealing to their parents include ones that we may find irritating but none the less we

still are right there to take care of the child; when the infant cries, clings, exhibits distress, as well as the happier behaviors such as smiling and cooing. Biologically, mothers produce a hormone called Oxytocin which is responsible for inducing contractions during labor as well as milk flow to feed the infant. The release of this hormone can help the mother develop strong feelings of love toward the child. Interesting, in women who do not produce high levels of Oxytocin, or who are even deficient in it, there is a greater chance for depression and the inability to form an attachment. The basis for which babies will form their relationships later in life stems from how they bonded with their parents. Bowlby theorized that infants develop internal working models, which are expectations for relationships based on how they “see” themselves and others around them. These expectations are developed through parental response to their behaviors. If an infant has had a ill formed relationship with a parent leading to the development of mistrust instead of trust, they are more likely to have difficulty with relationships in their future. An example could be if the child was left to cry without being checked on, they are used to not being able to trust someone to help them. Therefore, this knowledge of that interaction carries over throughout childhood and into adulthood making it increasingly difficult to form lasting bonds. Either the individual becomes truly unable to form a fulfilling attachment because of a lack of trust, or they may become too attached too quickly because they are searching for that feeling of love and trust.