bowlby

• Evolutionary Perspective:

  • innate allows us to survive
  • primary caregivers is reliable, will loof after them until they are able to do so by themselves
  • baby will display social releases such as crying, smiling, crawling cooing, clingy = emotional or caring response from primary caregivers
• monotropy: attachment as a close bond with just ONE attachment figure (usually with their mother)
• Critical period: (1 - 2.5 years)

  • a lifespan stage during which the individual is more sensitive to environmental influence and normal development relies on theses particular life experiences occuring
  • irreversible consequences
• sensitive period: optimum line when infants become imprinted by early contact with their mother
• imprinting: precise and permanent learning that occurs very early on an infant life to form a bond
• maternal deprivation: (abnormal)

  • refers to the consequences and individual experiences when they are separated from their mother (or mother-subsitute)
  • child and an attachment is unable to develop during the critical period
  • results in long term cognitive, social + emotional difficulties
• internal working model: a cogntive frameworks comprising mental representations for understanding the world, self and others
• 3 part of internal working model:

  1. model of others- mother being experienced as trustworthy
  2. model of self- valuable + important to others
  3. model of self + others- if a positive interaction with primary caregiver, they will demonstrate effective interactions with others
• application to the real-world:

  • how maternal deprivation can impact a child
• stengths:

  • great influence on other researchers, help improved condition that children were kept in
  • provided strong reasoning for the relationship that adults form, first attachment children form produce the template used for forming relationship through life
  • other reports
• limitations:

  • bowlby believed mother was main caregiver, but around the world children have multiple attachment figures
  • high quality aftercare means children who didn't develop in critical period can cover
  • doesn't distinguish between deprivation and privation
  • evidence to support that children develop better with mother who are happy in their work than mothers are frustrated at home
  • over simplified