The key concepts of attachement theory and how early attachements influence adult relationships Flashcards
What is an attachment?
An emotional bond
What is the importance of early attachment?
- Provides a template for socialisation, for example, friendships and adult relationships
- Creates emotional security which is important in the development for self esteem
- Supports the development of empathy and is linked to showing caring behaviours
What are the key features of the attachment theory?
- John Bowlby
- Mary Ainsworth
- Micheal Rutter
- Schaffer and Emerson
These different theorists have built on one another’s work to produce theories of attachment.
What was John Bowlbys theory about?
Attachment is an innate process.
Babies form a single attachment, usually to the mother.
A internal working model or template about relationships is developed which affects later relationships.
Maternal deprivation, e.g. being separated from mother, can cause later emotional and behavioural difficulties.
What were the strengths of his theory?
- The first to understand the role of attachment in later emotional development.
- Influenced practice, e.g. mothers now allowed to stay with their child in hospital.
What were the limitations of John Bowlby’s theory?
Later studies showed that babies developed multiple attachments.
What was Mary Ainsworth’s Theory about?
Researched attachment styles using the ‘Strange situation experiment’ where mothers left their babies aged around 9-18 months with strangers. Observed four patterns of attachment:
- Secure - mother responsive to child’s needs.
Where mothers were less responsive or inconsistent, three other patterns observed:
2. insecure avoidant
3. insecure ambivalent
4. disorganised-disoriented (also known as disorganised attachment).
What were the strengths of Mary Ainsworths theory?
- Recognised that the quality of attachment mattered.
- Influenced practice, e.g. support for parents to improve attachment.
What were the limitations of Mary Ainsworths theory?
- Experiment was criticised for being unethical.
- Experiment not considered to be reliable when carried out in other cultures.
What was Micheal Rutter’s theory about?
Compared the outcomes for children who had never formed an attachment (privation) and those who had formed an attachment, but had been separated (deprivation).
Concluded that privation is far more detrimental than deprivation.
What were the strengths of Micheal Rutter’s theory?
- Influenced practice - babies removed at birth are placed with a foster family rather than in an institution.
- More support for new parents to help with attachment.
What was Schaffer and Emerson’s Theory about?
Quality of attachment linked more to responsiveness of carers rather than the amount of time spent.
Babies were capable of multiple attachments.
Four stages of attachment were observed:
1. Asocial stage (baby is neither social or unsociable) (0 to 6 weeks): babies prefer humans over other objects but can be settled by anyone
- Indiscriminate attachments (6 weeks to 6 months): babies are more sociable and can tell individuals apart but do not form strong attachments; no fear of strangers.
- Specific (7 months+):
separation anxiety when their primary attachment figure leaves; a fear of strangers develops. - Multiple (10/11 months+):
infants form multiple attachments, such as grandparents, friends, childminders/nursery practitioners.
What were the strengths of Schaffer and Emerson’s theory?
Quality rather than quantity of time matters in attachment, reassuring working parents that their babies will not ‘forget’ them if they go to childcare.
- Shows that babies can attach to practitioners, allowing parents to return to work/leave babies for the day.
- Has influenced when babies are taken into care
What does secure attachment mean?
Before separation, the child explores the environment and interacts with strangers. After separation, the child is distressed but soon calms down when mother appears.
What does insecure avoidant mean?
Before and during separation, little exploration. During separation, the baby does not react when the parent leaves or returns.