Essay Exam
Discuss how attachment behaviour is relevant throughout the lifespan
By definition, Attachment is a biological predisposition to bond with caregivers and it is a two-way
process. It is considered a big achievement for an infant as it secures the survival from an
evolutionary point of view due to the child's ability to form attachments with one or multiple
caregivers. Attachment also provides the base for social life, as well as it has a huge impact on it in
terms of romantic relationships and general ability to connect and preserve relationships with
others.
There are four Attachment Theories presenting different views on the development of attachment
and its definition– Psychoanalytic, Learning; Cognitive Developmental and Ethological.
Psychoanalytic is offered by Fraud according to whom the child develops an attachment to the
mother because of the pleasure of being fed. However, it has been proved that infants also develop
an attachment to people who do not feed them, therefore this theory was not widely accepted.
Important in the Learning Theory is that attachment develops over time therefore it is not automatic,
and this theory is supported by Harry Harlow’s experiment proving that infant creates attachment to
whoever provides security, not food. Cognitive Developmental Theory suggests that infants
differentiate between the mother and a stranger. And finally, Ethological Theory is proposed by John
Bowlby, and it is considered to be the most completed and accepted one.
In its current form, the attachment theory represents the work of both John Bowlby and Mary
Ainsworth. Whereas Bowlby defined the fundamental outlines of the theory, proposing a new way of
considering the mother-infant bond and its disruption through separation and deprivation,
Ainsworth helped expand the theory. Her main contributions were the explanation of individual
differences in attachment relationships and the concept of the caregiver as a secure base (Parkes, C.
M., Stevenson-Hinde, J., 2006).
Bowlby was influenced by Lorenz’s experiment with ducklings showing imprinting. According to
Bowlby, a child is likely to be attached to one particular female and that bond is different than any
other attachment developed at a later stage, or what he calls Monotropy. Bowlby’s theory includes
Mutual Attachment, Secure Base and Internal working model. Mutual attachment represents the
instinctual responses between a mother and a child. A child sees the parent as a Secure Base and
explores only when protection is around. When Attachment is already developed in an infant a
separation distress can occur. The Internal working model represents a cognitive framework or an
interpretation of the care the parents received when they were children, therefore considered to be
not the actual experience but an interpretation of it.
There are different types of Attachment relationships. Ainsworth’s Strange Situation scenario
reflects these types – Secure Attachment (Type B), Insecure Avoidant Attachment (Type A), Insecure
Ambivalent Attachment (Type C). At later stage is discovered and the existence of Insecure
Disorganized Attachment (Type D) by Solomon and George, 2008. People develop attachment styles
as a way of having social relationships and that is based on their family experiences during childhood
Discuss how attachment behaviour is relevant throughout the lifespan
By definition, Attachment is a biological predisposition to bond with caregivers and it is a two-way
process. It is considered a big achievement for an infant as it secures the survival from an
evolutionary point of view due to the child's ability to form attachments with one or multiple
caregivers. Attachment also provides the base for social life, as well as it has a huge impact on it in
terms of romantic relationships and general ability to connect and preserve relationships with
others.
There are four Attachment Theories presenting different views on the development of attachment
and its definition– Psychoanalytic, Learning; Cognitive Developmental and Ethological.
Psychoanalytic is offered by Fraud according to whom the child develops an attachment to the
mother because of the pleasure of being fed. However, it has been proved that infants also develop
an attachment to people who do not feed them, therefore this theory was not widely accepted.
Important in the Learning Theory is that attachment develops over time therefore it is not automatic,
and this theory is supported by Harry Harlow’s experiment proving that infant creates attachment to
whoever provides security, not food. Cognitive Developmental Theory suggests that infants
differentiate between the mother and a stranger. And finally, Ethological Theory is proposed by John
Bowlby, and it is considered to be the most completed and accepted one.
In its current form, the attachment theory represents the work of both John Bowlby and Mary
Ainsworth. Whereas Bowlby defined the fundamental outlines of the theory, proposing a new way of
considering the mother-infant bond and its disruption through separation and deprivation,
Ainsworth helped expand the theory. Her main contributions were the explanation of individual
differences in attachment relationships and the concept of the caregiver as a secure base (Parkes, C.
M., Stevenson-Hinde, J., 2006).
Bowlby was influenced by Lorenz’s experiment with ducklings showing imprinting. According to
Bowlby, a child is likely to be attached to one particular female and that bond is different than any
other attachment developed at a later stage, or what he calls Monotropy. Bowlby’s theory includes
Mutual Attachment, Secure Base and Internal working model. Mutual attachment represents the
instinctual responses between a mother and a child. A child sees the parent as a Secure Base and
explores only when protection is around. When Attachment is already developed in an infant a
separation distress can occur. The Internal working model represents a cognitive framework or an
interpretation of the care the parents received when they were children, therefore considered to be
not the actual experience but an interpretation of it.
There are different types of Attachment relationships. Ainsworth’s Strange Situation scenario
reflects these types – Secure Attachment (Type B), Insecure Avoidant Attachment (Type A), Insecure
Ambivalent Attachment (Type C). At later stage is discovered and the existence of Insecure
Disorganized Attachment (Type D) by Solomon and George, 2008. People develop attachment styles
as a way of having social relationships and that is based on their family experiences during childhood
