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University of Botswana Department of Educational Psychology Foundation of Developmental Psychology

The document discusses the psychological theory of attachment, developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, which examines the effects of separation between infants and their caregivers. It outlines different attachment styles, including secure and anxious-avoidant attachments, and describes how these styles influence children's behavior and relationships into adulthood. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of understanding attachment theory for personal and relational development.

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13 views7 pages

University of Botswana Department of Educational Psychology Foundation of Developmental Psychology

The document discusses the psychological theory of attachment, developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, which examines the effects of separation between infants and their caregivers. It outlines different attachment styles, including secure and anxious-avoidant attachments, and describes how these styles influence children's behavior and relationships into adulthood. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of understanding attachment theory for personal and relational development.

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mrtbsekati
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© © All Rights Reserved
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UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY


FOUNDATION OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
(EFP101)

STUDENT NAME: LEKOAPE MONGEZI


STUDENT ID: 201703233

TITLE/TOPIC: THE PSYCHOLOGIICAL THEORY OF


ATTACHMENT

DUE DATE: 15/04/201


The psychological theory of attachment was developed by John
Bowlby (and expanded upon by Mary Ainsworth), a
psychoanalyst who researched the effects of separation between
infants and their parents (Fraley, 2010). Bowlby suspected that
the extreme behaviours infants would engage in to avoid
separation or when reconnecting with a physically separated
parent, behaviors like crying, screaming, and clinging, were
actually evolutionary mechanisms (Behaviors that were
reinforced through natural selection and enhanced the child’s
chances of survival). The psychoanalyst who researched on the
effect of separation between infants and their parents, has
shown that there are many behaviours in addition to emotion
regulation that relates to a child’s attachment style. Among
other findings, there is a pattern followed in these attachment:

Birth to about six months: Secure Attachment

These children are generally more likely to see others as


supportive and helpful and themselves as competent and
worthy of respect; they relate positively to others and display
resilience, engage in complex play and are more successful in
the classroom and in interactions with other children. They are
better at taking the perspectives of others and have more trust
in others (Field, 1996).

Tumelo cannot at first make sense of the world. But as his


mother handles him day after day in familiar ways, the pattern
begins to emerge. Each time she picks him up he recognizes her
smell and touch and voice, and soon learns that feeding or
comforting follows. Within the small world she thus creates for
him the baby "knows" the mother in these primitive ways, and
in time she becomes the person he can distinguish from the
more fleeting people who come and go.

At about three months he recognizes her face clearly, where


previously he sensed only her familiarity, and he responds to
her with greater animation than to others. But throughout most
of the first six months the baby is friendly and smiling to
everyone and allows himself to be held by almost anyone. It is
part of the parents' pleasure in their baby at this time that his
friendliness draws appreciative comments from acquaintances.
But, generally friendly though he is, Tumelo is gradually
developing an especially intense response to his mother.

About six months: Fear of strangers-Anxious Avoidant


Attachment

Children with an anxious-avoidant attachment are generally


less effective in managing stressful situations; they are likely to
withdraw and resist seeking help from others, which inhibits
them from forming satisfying relationships with others. They
show more aggression and antisocial behavior, like lying and
bullying, and they tend to distance themselves from others to
reduce emotional stress. At about six months his behaviour
changes quite dramatically. Tumelo clings to his mother: he
wants her and her alone and cries when strangers approach him.
She has become his haven of safety. Father and grandparents
may find themselves shunned and avoided. Tumelo’s father can
feel a pang of hurt that his baby is unwilling to stay with him,
and the grandparents may be puzzled and even impatient that
the cherub will no longer sit beaming on their knee. The baby
dislikes being apart from the mother and cries if she goes from
him. This is not a step backwards and the baby has not been
"spoiled". The recognition of strangers is an important step in
the baby's development.

During the previous months his mother had shared his


pleasures and anxieties, tended him during illness, aided him in
the gradual mastery of his body, understood his non-verbal
communications. This and their physical closeness has
established her as the most familiar person in his life, the
person he most enjoys being with (Kennedy & Kennedy, 2004).

Now he is aware of the world beyond his mother, and for a time
he is fearful of it and cannot cope. He therefore turns for safety
to the person to whom he has become powerfully attached.
Everyone else is for a time unwelcome. This phase of "stranger
recognition" can be embarrassing and tiresome for the parents,
but it is normal and necessary for good social and emotional
development. It is a first step towards the child's ability to
discriminate between strangers and those he loves, an ability to
enter into enduring relationships in later life.

About nine months: Making real relationships


The fear of strangers lasts from two to eight weeks, during
which time the baby may have withdrawn even from the father.
But by eight to nine months he will return to him again in a
more mature way of relating. The strength of the baby's
attachment to him reflects the extent of the father's availability
and involvement. The father is known and enjoyed but is as yet
less important than the mother because his role as a
breadwinner usually means that he has the smaller part in the
ongoing care. But the father becomes increasingly important as
the months and years go by (Firestone, 2013).

Gradually the baby makes a few other relationships to close


family members, and perhaps to family friends, but always
according to the extent of their involvement with him. His
behaviour towards people outside the family is reserved. He is
now acutely aware of the difference between intimate family,
friendly acquaintances and strangers. The blood tie has no
meaning for him. His relationship to a near neighbour may be
closer than to a distant grandmother.

By the end of the first year the baby is crawling and perhaps
walking, curious about the world around him; bravely moving a
few yards away from the mother or father but speedily getting
back to one of them as a place of safety if danger threatens, or
if he is tired or hurt; friendly to familiar people outside the
family but not indiscriminately so as when he was four or five
months old.It is easy to see how attachment style in childhood
leads to relationship problems as adults.
CONCLUSION
This piece tackled attachment theory, a theory developed by John Bowlby in the 1950s and
expanded upon by Mary Ainsworth and countless other researchers in later years. The theory
helps explain how our childhood relationships with our caregivers can have a profound
impact on our relationships with others as adults.
As always, I find this theory interesting and this piece informative. Although attachment
theory may not be able to explain every peculiarity of personality, it lays the foundations for
a solid understanding of yourself and those around you when it comes to connecting and
interacting with others.
REFERENCE
Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth.
Developmental Psychology, 28, 759-775.
Field, T. (1996). Attachment and separation in young children. Annual Review of Psychology,
47, 541-561.
Firestone, L. (2013). How your attachment style impacts your relationship. Psychology
Today. From https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201307/how-your-
attachment-style-impacts-your-relationship
Harris, J. R. (1998). The nurture assumption: Why our children turn out the way they do.
New York, NY: Free Press.

Kennedy, J. H., & Kennedy, C. E. (2004). Attachment theory: Implications for school
psychology. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 247-259.

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