bowlby

• he refers to attachment as a deep & enduring emotional bond that connects a child to their primary caregiver

  he believed that children were biologically preprogrammed to form attachments & that infancy is a critical period for forming positive attachments. this led him to consider problems associated with early separation from the primary caregiver
• he observed that children experienced separation anxiety, an intense distress, when separated from their mothers. the child's distress & anxiety didn't disappear even when being fed by another carer.

  he suggested attachment could be understood as evolving from the caregiver providing safety & security for the infant. according to him, infants have a universal need to seek close proximity with their caregiver when under stress/feeling threatened
• criticisms of bowlby:

  • critics argue that he oversimplified his theory
  • rutter argues that maternal deprivation in itself may not result in long term problems. he suggests privation's far more damaging. privation happens when children haven't had the opportunity to form attachments/have poor quality attachments caused by a lack of social/intellectual stimulation
  • while bowlby believed attachment is a natural, biological process, others suggest it's learned behaviour influenced by factors such as the environment, culture, baby's temperament