L5

Theory of Attachment

Introduction : Attachment is a profound and permanent expressive bond that connects one person to another across time and space . Attachment does not have to be reciprocal.  .There can be case when one person who has good kind of attachment with another person but another person can be indifferent towards love and attachment shown by first person.

Ethological Theory of Attachment :-In psychology seminal work of John Bowlby is considered as originator for attachment theory. Early in his work in child guidance, British researcher John Bowlby became concerned about the ability of children raised in institutions to form lasting relationships with others(Henniger,2014). Theory which he developed for explaining behavior of these children is termed as Ethological Theory of Attachment. Ethology is concerned with the adaptive, or survival, value of behavior and its evolutionary history.

As we know children are like wet cement whatever falls on them makes an impression. According to Bowlby's theory childhood of children being raise in institutions is not normal. They are not aware of affection and love of parents .Love of parents is an essential prerequisite of growing children but some children are not lucky to get it.

Bowlby's Four Stages of Attachment are described below:-:-

Pre-attachment phase :-  It lasts from birth to approximately 12 weeks of age. During this time, children make little distinction between people in their vicinity. They turn toward them, follow them with their eyes, and are generally more content when others are around.

Indiscriminate Attachment : From around six weeks of age to seven months, infants begin to show preferences for primary and secondary caregivers. During this phase, infants begin to develop a feeling of trust that the caregiver will respond to their needs. While they will still accept care from other people, they become much better at distinguishing between familiar and unfamiliar people as they approach seven months of age. They also respond more positively to the primary caregiver(Cherry,2014).

Discriminate Attachment : At this point, from about seven to eleven months of age, infants show a strong attachment and preference for one specific individual. They will protest when separated from the primary attachment figure (separation anxiety), and begin to display anxiety around strangers (stranger anxiety).

Multiple Attachments : After approximately nine months of age, children begin to form strong emotional bonds with other caregivers beyond the primary attachment figure. This often includes the father, older siblings, and grandparents.

Bowlby speculates, the environment of evolutionary adaptedness probably resembles that of present-day hunter-gatherer societies. for the purpose of survival, and, ultimately, genetic replication. genes play a significant role in the way a child will develop. So attachment can be considered primarily influenced by genes.Also It is a common belief in psychology that "nature gives parents a baby: the end result depends on how they nurture it.  People also need to realize that a lot of personality traits come from their genes, not their parents nurturing. Many studies have found out that determining the attachment style in social relationships have a lasting effect on the future behavior of people.

References :-

· What Is Attachment Theory? by Kendra Cherry retrieved on November 2,2014 from

http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/a/attachment01.htm

· John Bowlby's Perspective on Learning and Development-by M.L. Henniger retrieved on November 1,2014 from http://www.education.com/reference/article/john-bowlby-attachment-stages/