Download Attachment theory

Attachment theory
Starter
What is attachment?
Who do you form attachments with?
Why do you form attachments?
- Role of father and mother
- Lorenz and Harlow
Aim
To have an understanding of what
Bowlby’s theory of attachment is
How do you make effective notes
Copy down what is in red and has this next to it>>
If any information appears that you didn’t already know,
take note of that too
Note taking is a really important skill to have in such a
content heavy course, for exams and in university – they
wont wait for you to finish copying down off the slide!
Attachment
“An enduring, two way, emotional tie to a
specific other person”
Typically occurs between a parent and a child
What behaviours can you see when
two people are attached?
•Close proximity
•Distress on separation
•Joy on reunion
•Person used as safe base to
explore world
Bowlby’s monotropic theory of
attachment
Bowlby was heavily influenced by these animal
studies we know of
Harlow
(1958)
monkeys
(Black mask,
p110)
Lorenz
(1935)
young
ducklings
(Black mask,
p111)
On whiteboards outline
What Harlow found?
What Lorenz found?
Why do we form attachments?
Bowlby thinks the
same!
He suggests emotional
bonds such as forming
attachments helps us
survive and reproduce
Attachments are thought to
have an evolutionary function
What does evolutionary function mean?
•It is not a conscious decision
•It occurs through natural selection
Bowlby noted…
Natural selection to ensure that offspring stay
close to the caregivers
Behave towards their caregiver in a certain way
to ensure survival
Learning
theory
Nurture
Based on these
animal studies,
Bowlby rejected the
learning theory
Learn from
the
environment
Bowlby
theory
Nature
Born with innate
instinct to form
attachment
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
of attachment
Humans are born helpless and dependent
on the actions of a caregiver for food
warmth shelter and safety, for the purpose
of their well being
Monotropic
means moving
towards one
This means, behaviours which babies display which
help survival are called adaptive behaviours
What are examples of this?
Adaptive behaviours…
Breathing: an infant will move their arms and legs
when something covers their face to protect their oxygen
intake.
Body temperature: infants can maintain their body
temperatures by shivering and tucking their legs into
their bodies to stay warm. To cool off, they will
automatically push off blankets and decrease their
movement.
Bowlby suggests…
Babies are born with the tendency to display specific innate
behaviors to allow attachment = social releasers
This helps baby ensure proximity and contact with attachment
figure
On whiteboards, outline what you think these behaviours may be
For example:
Crying – to attract parents attention
Looking, smiling and vocalizing – to maintain parents attention and
interest
Following and clinging – to gain and maintain proximity to parent
This is a innate programming
These social releasers stimulate caregiving from the mother
When baby is ‘attached’ with mother, they are quiet… they
have no need to cry or cling
These attachment behaviors are activated by any condition
which appears to threaten the proximity with the attached
figure
For example: when mother disappears from view
Bowlby ‘critical period’
What do we already know about the term critical period?
Bowlby ‘critical period’
Babies have to form an attachment with their caregiver during a critical
period
This is between birth and 2½ years old.
Bowlby said that if a child doesn’t form an attachment during this time
then the child would be damaged socially, emotionally, intellectually and
physically
Who do we form attachments
with?
Infants form a single special attachment with one primary
attachment figure
This is usually the mother
But what do we know about this? Think of the lesson last
week??
Remember monotropic means moving towards one
The special attachment with one primary
attachment figure
•Usually the mother
•Top of hierarchy
Other attachments may develop in a hierarchy
below this
The attachments formed influenced infants internal working
model of relationships
This means, the relationships formed in childhood will influence
what future relationships may be as an older child and adult
Poor
monotropic
attachment
Key terms:
Adaptive
Social releasers
Critical period
Monotropy
Internal working model
 Can you think of a
mnemonic?
■A
■Snap
■Chat
■Makes
■Images
Handout 1
Plenary
The aim of todays lesson was to have an
understanding of what Bowlby’s theory of
attachment is
On whiteboards, summarise what Bowlby’s
theory of attachment is