John Bowlby (1907–1990) was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who believed that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. John Bowlby’s attachment theory suggests that children come into the world biologically preprogrammed to bond with others, as they will help them survive.
This author was influenced by ethological theory in general, but especially by the study of the importance of Konrad Lorenz. In the 1950s, in a study of ducks and geese, Lorenz showed that attachment was innate and therefore had a survival value.
- Therefore.
- Bowlby believed that attachment behaviors are instinctive and are triggered by any condition that seems to threaten the realization of rapprochement.
- Such as separation.
- Insecurity.
- And fear.
John Bowlby’s attachment theory holds that children are biologically programmed to bond with others.
Bowlby also argued that fear of strangers is an important survival mechanism, embodied by nature, according to him, babies are born with a tendency to demonstrate certain innate behaviors (called social liberators) that help ensure closeness and contact with the mother or an adjunct figure.
During the evolution of the human species, babies who approached their mothers survived to have their own children. Bowlby hypothesized that babies and mothers developed a biological need to stay in touch with each other.
These attachment behaviors initially function as fixed action patterns and all share the same function. Babies produce innate “social liberation” behaviors, such as crying and smiling, that encourage adult care. The determining factor of attachment is not food, but care and responsiveness.
After World War II, orphans and street children experienced many difficulties. In light of this, the United Nations (UN) asked John Bowlby to write an information leaflet on the subject. Bowlby titled the booklet “Mother Deprivation. ” The theory of attachment has emerged from the topics considered for the development of this work.
John Bowlby’s attachment theory is an interdisciplinary study covering the fields of psychological, evolutionary and ethological theories, here are his main points:
Although Bowlby did not dismiss the possibility of other attachment figures for a child, he thought there should be a much greater primary bond than any other (usually the mother).
Bowlby believes that this bond is qualitatively different from the most recent ones, in this sense, he argues that the relationship with the mother is, in a way, completely different from other relationships.
Essentially, Bowlby suggested that the nature of monotropy (the attachment traditionalized as a vital and close bond with a single attachment figure) meant that if the maternal bond was not initiated or broken, negative consequences would occur, including perhaps undestined psychopathy. led to the formulation of her maternal deprivation hypothesis.
The child behaves in a way that causes contact or closeness with the caregiver. When a child experiences greater arousal, he or she informs the caregiver. Crying, smile and locomotion are examples of these signaling behaviors.
Instintively, caregivers react to the behavior of the children for which they are responsible, creating a pattern of reciprocal interaction.
Bowlby said motherhood is almost useless if she’s late until she’s two-and-a-half years or three years late. In addition, for most children, there is a critical period if motherhood is delayed by up to 12 months.
If attachment is broken or interrupted during the critical age period, the child will suffer the long-term consequences of this maternal deprivation, a risk that persists up to five years.
Bowlby used the term maternal deprivation to refer to the separation or loss of the mother, as well as the lack of development of an attachment figure.
The underlying hypothesis of Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis is that continued disruption of the primary bond could lead to long-term cognitive, social, and emotional difficulties for the baby. The implications of this are enormous. For example, if this is true, should the primary manager leave your child in a day care center?
The long-term consequences of maternal deprivation may include crime, reduced intelligence, increased aggression, depression and uninsected psychopathy.
Psychopathy without affection is the inability to show affection or affection for others, these individuals act impulsively without worrying about the consequences of their actions, for example, without showing guilt for antisocial behavior.
Anxiety goes through three progressive stages: protest, despair and detachment.
The internal working model is a cognitive framework that includes mental representations to understand the world, the self and others. One person’s interaction with others is guided by the memories and expectations of their internal model, which influence and help evaluate their contact with others.
At almost years old, the internal model appears to be part of the child’s personality and therefore affects their understanding of the world and their future interactions with others. According to Bowlby, the primary caregiver acts as a prototype for future relationships through the internal work model. .
There are three main features of the internal work model: a trustworthy model of others, a self-like model as precious, and a self-model as effective when interacting with others.
This mental representation is the one that guides social and emotional behavior in the future, because the child’s internal work model orients his receptivity towards others in general.
John Bowlby’s theory of attachment covers the fields of psychological, evolutionary and ethological theories.
One of the main criticisms that this theory of attachment has received is related to its direct involvement Should mothers devote themselves exclusively to the care of their children from a young age?
Weisner and Gallimore (1977) explain that mothers are the exclusive caregivers in a very small percentage of human societies; in fact, other people are often involved in childcare.
In this sense, Van Ijzendoorn and Tavecchio (1987) argue that a stable network of adults can provide adequate care and that such care may even have advantages over a system in which the mother must meet all the needs of a child.
On the other hand, Schaffer (1990) explains that there is evidence that children develop better with a happy mother at work than with a mother frustrated at staying home.
The final consideration is that John Bowlby’s attachment theory does not advocate for the exclusivity of the mother in parenting, he says it is essential that there be a prominent figure who provides the necessary care and attention in the first stage of life, encouraging the creation of a bond to help the baby fully develop.