Why Attachment Forms Is an important survival tool, those without are not protected. Parents need to look after their child to ensure they are cared for. These offspring are more likely to reproduce.
Attachment
An emotional bond formed between an infant and their caregiver
How attachments are formed
1. Infants have an innate drive to become attached
2. Attachment takes place during a critical period around 3-6 months
3. Infants who do not form an attachment during this time will have difficulty forming an attachment later on
Sensitivity
Determines attachment
More strongly attached infants had responsive mothers (Ainsworth)
Social releasers
Babies are born with particular features that elicit caring behaviour from their caregiver, for example smiling and having a baby face
Monotropy
Infants form one special emotional bond with their primary caregiver
The consequences of attachment - The monotropic relationships provides the infant with a mental representations of relationships, this is known as an internalworkingmodel. This gives insight into caregiver’s behaviour and acts as a template for all future relationships.
Bowlby also put forward the continuity hypothesis, which states that an infant’s internal working model will influence his/her later adult relationships. Individuals who are strongly attached are more likely to have socially and emotionally competent relationships in later life
