Foundation Access to HE Developmental Psychology

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Foundation Access to HE
Developmental Psychology
Attachment
Attachment Lesson One
Teaching Aim To know and
understand how Psychologists have
studied attachment Learning
Outcomes By the end of the lesson
students should be able to 1. Define
attachment 2. Compare and contrast Psychological
theories of attachment development 3. Understand
how attachment is measured 4. Know and
understand Bowlbys theory and research
stimulated from it.
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Defining Attachment A relatively long enduring
tie in which the partner is important as a unique
individual and is inter-changeable with
non-other (Ainsworth, 1989) A close emotional
selective relationship between two persons
characterised by mutual affection and a desire to
maintain proximity. (Cohen, 1974) The strong
affectional ties that bind a person to
an intimate companion. (Bowlby, 1969)
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Theories of
Attachment Psychoanalytic Theory I love you
because you feed me Freud linked attachment to
his oral stage of development, seeing the child
gaining pleasure though feeding. As the mother is
usually the feeder she becomes the babys primary
object of security and affection, particularly if
she is relaxed and generousin her feeding
practices. Erikson saw feeding as representing a
mothers overall responsiveness to the needs of
the child, which fosters a sense of trust
Hypnotising that those children who do not learn
to trust will avoid close mutual trust
relationships throughout life.
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Theories of Attachment
Learning Theory Rewardingness leads to
love Also emphasises the importance of feeding
for 2 reasons 1. It elicits positive responses
from a contended baby (smiles/coos) that are
likely to increase a caregivers affection for
the baby. 2. Mother is relaxed when feeding and
provides many comforts food, warmth,touch and
soft and reassuring vocalisations. Infant
therefore associates themother with pleasant
feelings and will do whatever necessary to
attract orremain near this valuably rewarding
individual.
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Theories of Attachment
Cognitive-Developmental Theory To love you I
must know that you will always be there. This
emphasises the holistic nature of development,
seeing attachment dependent in part on level of
intellectual development. The child must be able
to discriminate familiar persons and have
acquired the cognitive construct of object
permanence.
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Ethological Theory Perhaps I was born to
love? This sees us as being born with innate
behavioural tendencies to promote attachment
between infant and caregiver this has developed
to allow survival of the species over the course
of evolution. The attachment relationship is
seen to have adaptive significance e.g.
protecting the young from predators and a long
term purpose of allowing members of each
generation to live long enough to reproduce there
fore enabling the species to survive. Lorenz
(1935) saw attachment as having a critical period
in which it must develop. In ducks he saw this as
the first few hours after hatching, he called
this phenomenon imprinting, and tested its
significant through limiting a young bird
experiences to himself only. The result was that
young duckling imprinting upon him showed by
following him everywhere.
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How Is Attachment Measured? Ainsworth (1971)
created a method of studying attachment, called
the Strange Situation. This consisted of a series
of standardised events Ainsworth saw the most
important feature of a mothers behaviour as
sensitivity. A sensitive mother would be
constantly accessible responding to babys needs
as they arrived while an insensitive mother
interacts with the baby on her own terms often
ignoring babys signals. Evaluation of Strange
Situation Lamb et al (1985) The most powerful
and useful procedure ever available for the study
of socio-emotional development in infancy. Seen
as very reliable. Highly artificial setting.
Places baby under stress is this ethical?
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Bowlbys Theory Is seen as the most comprehensive
theory, which is heavily influenced by
ethological theory especially Lorenzs theory of
imprinting. Bowlbys theory is centred around two
concepts 1. Monotropy the innate tendency to
attach to one particular caregiver, usually the
mother. 2. A critical period a brief period in
time in which attachment must happen. Bowlby felt
that it was essential for mental health that the
infant should experience a warm intimate and
continuous relationship with its mother. Famously
quoted as saying Mother love in infancy and
childhood is important formental health as are
vitamins and proteins for physical health.
(Bowlby 1951) Bowlby believed that both mother
and baby were predisposed biologically to stay in
contact and only this relationship would allow
normal development. We are now going to look in
detail at research that challenges Bowlby theory
of Monotropy as we examine the role of fathers as
attachment figures.