Attachment Theory

Essay text:

Like Freud’s psychoanalytic thories, Bowalby believes that humans have an innate biological drive albeit non-sexual that motivates them to progress. Key features of the theory: t Monotropy – children form only one strong attachment, usually to the mother; t This attachment forms during the first year of life – a critical period in which attachment must take place t If attachment has not formed by age 3 then it is too late; even after 6 months it is difficult t Healthy, secure attachment to the primary caregiver is essential for good social, emotional, and intellectual development t Once made, significant interruption of this bond will have severe consequences for the child’s development (social, emotional, intellectual) t Maternal deprivation is the term used by Bowlby to describe the serious developmental impairment that is caused by being separated from the mother in infancy t Bowlby’s theory was based on three kinds of evidence: studies carried out by other psychologists, such as the Robertsons, who showed how children suffer when separated from their mother; his own studies of juvenile delinquents; animal studies on imprinting and critical periods (eg Lorenz) Evolutionary basis of attachment Ethological work with precocial birds (those that can walk around and fend for themselves on hatching) has shown that there is a critical period for attachment to the mother...