...John Bowlby John Bowlby (1907) was a British psychoanalyst, notable for his research on child development and his concept of attachment. Bowlby’s studies began at the Trinity College in Cambridge studying psychology. Bowlby furthered his education- graduating in medicine in 1933 then going on to qualify as a psychoanalyst in 1937. During this period Bowlby spent time working with delinquent children. It was this early work which allowed him to develop a strong interest in the development of children- in particular the impact of separation between caregivers and children. This was to have a profound effect and major influence on his future work. In 1949, the World Health Organization accredited Bowlby to write a report on the mental health of homeless children in postwar Europe. Following the publication of his report, Bowlby persisted in the development of his attachment theory. In 1969 he published his first book on attachment theory: Attachment and Loss Volume 1. (1) Bowlby devoted much of his research on the theory of attachment, describing it as a "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings" (Bowlby, 1969, p.194). (2) His theory ‘emphasised the importance of the bond established between infants and their primary carer-usually their mother’ (Scott etal). Once the bond is first established, an...
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...In this essay I will explain Bowlby’s theory of attachment were Bowlby argues that a baby goes through a certain amount of stages to form an attachment with its primary caregiver and then multiple attachment. I will explain the stages throughout my essay. To begin, Bowlby argued that attachment is a type of mechanism that ensures the survival of the child. In other words, forming a bond with someone, often the child’s primary care giver is the most essential in order to survive. According to Bowlby which is why they strive to maintain close proximity to the significant adult. He argued that babies have abilities such as crying and smiling to encourage the primary care giver to look after them, and vice versa, the parents, particularly mothers, possess instincts designed to protect their child from harm. Bowlby presented his theory which comes under five sections, firstly being adaptive where babies have an attachment gene ensuring that the infant stays close to the caregiver for food and protein. As this is innate, the baby has social releasers (physical characteristics and behavioural characteristics) which are adaptive because a child’s behavioural characteristic helps the baby to survive. They are innate because survival of a baby’s life is naturally selected. Without any carte from the primary caregiver the baby will not be able to survive on its own. The second stage is Bowlby’s concept of monotropy, which the theory consists of a number of essential factors. Which he...
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...Bowlby's Attachment Theory John Bowlby (1907 - 1990) was a psychoanalyst (like Freud) and believed that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. Bowlby’s evolutionary theory of attachment suggests that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others, because this will help them to survive. Bowlby was very much influenced by ethological theory in general, but especially by Lorenz’s (1935) study of imprinting. Lorenz showed that attachment was innate (in young ducklings) and therefore has a survival value. Bowlby believed that attachment behaviors are instinctive and will be activated by any conditions that seem to threaten the achievement of proximity, such as separation, insecurity and fear. Bowlby (1969, 1988) also postulated that the fear of strangers represents an important survival mechanism, built in by nature. Babies are born with the tendency to display certain innate behaviors (called social releasers) which help ensure proximity and contact with the mother or mother figure (e.g. crying, smiling, crawling, etc.) – these are species-specific behaviors. During the evolution of the human species, it would have been the babies who stayed close to their mothers who would have survived to have children of their own and Bowlby hypothesized that both infants and mothers have evolved a biological need to stay in contact with each other. These attachment behaviors initially function...
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...deprivation Bowlby was a psychoanalyst; he came up with a theory for maternal deprivation. He used this theory to explain how a child would be effected if the emotional bond between the care giver and the infant was broken. He also showed that if the attachment was damaged on a regular basis, the child could suffer with social, intellectual and emotional damage due to maternal deprivation. This view is supported by Bowlby’s research, 44 Juvenile Thieves. Bowlby conducted a piece of research in which to find out if children were deprived of their mother during the critical period of attachment of the first few years of their lives, could this lead to a serious range of permanent consequences happen for later development. He took 88 clients from the child guidance clinic. Forty-four children had been referred to the clinic because of stealing. Bowlby interviewed children and their parents building up a record of their early life experiences. Bowlby found that 32% of the ‘thieves’ showed affectionless psychopathy as they had spent a considerable amount of time in hospital of a foster home as infants. In contrast only a small amount on the non-affectionless thieves had the same experiences. He concluded that disruption during the attachment stages was responsible for this. However this research was argued by Michael Rutter, he suggested that Bowlby did not consider the differences between deprivation and privation and their different consequences. He also stated that Bowlby over...
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...The World of Media and the everyday communication in a couple’s relationship 4 Factors Associated with Relationship Satisfaction: Importance of Communication Skills 4 Communication and Relationship Management 4 Being a couple in a media world: The mediatization of everyday communication in couple relationships Christine Linke Factors Associated with Relationship Satisfaction: Importance of Communication Skills I.S. Egeci.T. Gencoz Communication and Relationship Management Andrew N. German, Psy.D, associate professor and director of master’s programs Media plays a significant role in everyday life. How does media affect a couple, whose relationship is under constant everyday media pressure? Using the concept of mediatization as theoretical background for analyzing micro level processes. What is the importance of Communication Skills in a relationship and how does communication weigh in relationship management? Partners must establish good communication skills in order to maintain a successful relationship. However, when a couple is very successful and in the “limelight” so to speak, the pressure is undoubtedly more. Shen, S. (2010, July 29). The most successful busines power couples. Huff Post Business, Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/29/the-most-successful-busin_n_649622.html. Media plays an even greater risk for these relationships to fail. Media can play mind tricks and play with emotions through falsifying or...
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...answer that makes the most sense to us. We forget that everyone has a different reaction style that stems from their behavioral habits. What may seem clear to you may be more challenging for another person. Secure, anxious, and avoidant are three main styles of attachment. These styles affect the way our society bonds in their relationships. Therefore, habits are formed to fulfill selective personal needs. The bond that is created by a mother and her child in the first year of life will dictate the particular attachment pattern that the child will gain. (Beebe, Jaffe, and Markese 2010, p. 97) This theory originated from John Bowlby. Bowlby's studies in childhood behavior and development led him to the conclusion that a firm attachment to a caregiver gives a sense of connection and foundation for that child. Without this kind of bonding experience, Bowlby found that most of a person’s developmental energy is disbursed by pursuing a form of stability and balance.( Karandashev, Benton, and Edwards, 2012, p.1) Therefore, anxious and avoidant attachments are fear driven by sudden changes and they don’t usually like to rely on support. The opposite attachment is secure. This results in a person feeling comfortable to be dependent on others. Which leads to the possibility of being more open to new experiences. I will explain these different attachment styles, and how each style goes about getting that need met. The first attachment style is Secure, it is energized by a feeling of self-sufficiency...
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...At birth, infants are dependent upon a caregiver to provide them with essentials, such as water, shelter, clothing and food. In addition, an infant needs more than physical items; infants need to be supported, loved, and comforted. John Bowlby introduced the attachment theory that suggests that children are inclined to attach themselves to caregivers to increase their chances of survival. Bowlby discussed that an infant progresses through four phases: preattachment, attachment-in-the-making, clear-cut, and reciprocal relationships. By the time a child is two-years-old, he is capable of developing a working partnership with his caregiver. Mary Ainsworth tested Bowlby’s theories, and she discovered four categories that children belong to: secure,...
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...developmental potential. On the other hand, positive caregiver-child interactions are said to facilitate social-emotional development (Walker et al., 2011). This is especially true in infancy.” In this essay I wish to discuss the above emphasised statements in the context of normal social behaviour. This essay places specific emphases on three main areas; the role of attachment in child developement, how a lack of caregiver-child interactions affect the infant and the protective factors that could facilitate the child’s social-emotional development. After World War II, it was found that many children who lost their parents presented similar psychological difficulties (Cassidy & Shaver, 1999). Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby wrote a pamphlet on the situation, entitled “Meternal Deprivation”. Out of this work spawned the attachment theory. For the first time people became aware that the close careciver-child attachment, usually mother-child, was very important in the healthy development of a child. Research has since and is still being done on understanding the role of attachment. Principles of the theory have been used to explain a number of social behaviours, such as social dominence, hierarchical social structures and even justice (Bugental, Acquisition of the Algorithms of Social Life: A Domain-Based Approach, 2000). The knowledge brought to light by...
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...The Effect of Child Care on Emotional Development In today’s society, money revolves around everything and parents strive to give their children better lives. Many parents are returning to the workforce following the birth of their child and leaving them in the care of non-family members. A great increase of enrollment in full day childcare for Singaporean children has been observed, from 65,650 enrolled in 2013 to 78,555 in 2014. It has been contended that high quality childcare would give children advancement in cognitive development (NICHD 2006). However, a parent remaining home before the school years ensures normal development of their child in those aspects. In the attachment theory, Bowlby (1969) found that early relationships with primary caregivers are most influential and lead to secure relationships, raising confidence in environmental exploration. From nine months of age, babies begin observing and correlating with their caregiver’s emotions and actions before they respond (Astington & Barriault, 2001). When a positive response from their caregiver’s to a situation is observed, the child will embrace it as well. Children begin to pick up on perception of their surroundings and efficiency of exploration can be achieved through a continuous and encouraging relationship between parent and child which forms the bond that cannot be found in day cares due to inconsistency in caregivers and shared attention with other children. Piaget’s (1929) cognitive development...
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...Literature and Topic Review for Environmental Influences on Personality Name Institution Literature and Topic Review for Environmental Influences on Personality 1.0 Introduction What makes an individual unique is their personality. A person’s personality refers to his mental features that differentiate this person from other people. Personality comprises of all patterns of emotions and thought that cause human beings to say things and to do them in particular ways. Personality signifies the most critical parts for a person’s psychological life. To this end, personality is, therefore, organized and dynamic set of characteristics that a person possesses (Lewis, 2001). These unique features influence a person’s motivations, behaviors and his or her cognitions in various situations. Personality is psychological, though biological processes also influence our behaviors. Our thoughts, social interactions, behavior, close relationships and feeling all influence our personality. The environment influences our personality (Myers, 2004). Anything that affects a person except his or her genes is the environment. Many external factors help in shaping our personality. These external factors include the people around us and the places that we live. Our friends, family, daily experiences, and all the people whom we interact with influence our personality. However, every person has a personality that is unique to them (Simanowitz...
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...It can create substantial emotional damage for a baby to be consistently ‘mis-attuned’ resulting in the child ceasing to connect. If the mother is attuning to the wrong feelings, it may lead to the child withdrawing, becoming depressed and feeling a distinct lack of worth. As early communicative exchanges between mother and baby are essentially musical, I feel music therapy can therefore play a vital role for when a client has been ‘mis attuned’ during early childhood. The music can be the supporting mother, enabling the client to be finally heard. A brief word about Proto conversation The interaction between mother and baby include many other vital interpersonal exchanges, which also include ‘Proto-conversation’ a term first used by Mary...
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...In the first class lecture we focused on theories of attachment. We discussed two prominent researchers of developmental attachment: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. From Bowlby’s monkey experiment we understand the main keys of attachment: warmth and responsiveness. From their research we can begin to understand the importance of a secure base for development. Infants are motivated to seek proximity to caregivers as a survival tool. Closeness to parents improves infant survival, emotional health and organization of mental processes. There are four distinct labels in which attachment styles are categorized: secure, insecure avoidant, insecure ambivalent, and insecure disorganized. The attachment style adopted by the child is surprisingly not...
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...A child with poor or social and emotional development are at risk of experiencing poor relationships with peers, academic problems and can lead them into involvement in unsociable activities or crime. Research suggests the key to social and emotional development lies in the child’s early relationship with parents and caregivers. It is believed that children develop and thrive better when they are brought up in an environment where the caregiver satisfies a child’s needs physically and emotionally. Throughout the Late 1930s and 1940s a psychologist John Bowlby investigated the nature and the purpose of the close relationships that a person forms with people throughout their lives, in particular, childhood. He researched the making and breaking of bonds to understand the psychological behaviour and social and emotional development of human being (Howe, 1995, P46). As a result of these investigations and studies Bowlby developed a theory called the ‘Attachment Theory’. The basis of this theory is that “the infant and young child should experience warm, intimate and continuous relationships between the child and the mother” (Steele, 2002, State of the art: Attachment). Bowlby’s attachment theory hypothesis that humans have some biological need to develop a close loving bond with their mothers, or caregiver. This bond develops within the first year of the child’s life, and if the bond is not developed or the bond is broken, the child’s emotional development may suffer. (Davenport...
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...Monkey Love Monkey love is a strange subject for me. I have a hard time correlating monkey behavior to human behavior. Although, I understand that he performed this experiment to convince psychologists that the behaviorist meal-dispenser model of mother love was incorrect, I think that Harry Harlow performed his classic study about love in vain. John B. Watson stated that "When you are tempted to pet your child, remember that mother love is a dangerous instrument." In the last century children were viewed as adults at a very young age. They would take on many important duties, so I can understand that too much love would inhibit children from maturing quickly and being able to take on adult roles as early as age 8. Too much parental love definitely has an adverse effects on children. I do see the importance of having a primary attachment figure, nevertheless, children need to explore the world and not always be under our protective eye. They need to be independent and gain confidence through increased responsibility. This is why the whole monkey experiment doesn’t correlate to my view of child rearing and development. Monkeys don’t have the same abilities as a child and unfortunately, the monkeys in his experiment had all kinds of problems such as abusive tendencies towards their own offspring and didn’t show increased maturity. I would have to say that the argument made by the behaviorists that the mother and child relationship was merely a means for the child to obtain...
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...Child Abuse and Its Effects on the Child’s Ability to Form Attachments The moment that a child is conceived begins a lifelong journey of attachment. Studies have shown that embryos begin bonding in the womb when they feel movement, hear voices, and through the stimulation of smell and taste. This attachment with a caregiver grows even stronger when the child is born and as they move into childhood develops further into other relationships. The intensity associated with the importance of this development is best described by Perry (2001), “The most important property of humankind is the capacity to form and maintain relationships. These relationships are absolutely necessary for any of us to survive, learn, work, love and procreate” (p. 1). That is, as long as the proper environment and development is exposed to the child. Exposure to constant distress or inflicted abuse and/or neglect to a child can result in reactive attachment disorder, along with many other socioemotional problems and disorders. This will affect all relationships, as well as their ability to accomplish goals and lead a directed, goal-oriented life. When and if others intervene within the abusive situation, will determine how the child will deal with an attachment disorder. If intervention does not occur, attachment disorders associated with abuse and/or neglect can lead to violence in children and adults. There are ways to help children cope with this disorder, but it will become a struggle they will have...
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