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  • Essay / Review of Attachment Theory by John Bowlby

    Bowlby's theory is an evolutionary theory because he believes that attachment is a behavioral system that evolved because of its survival and reproductive value. Care is adaptive because species have adapted over many years to improve the survival of their offspring so that they can reproduce later. Bowlby's theory is made up of many different ideas. According to Bowlby, children have an innate drive to attach to a caregiver. This is similar to that of imprinting, which is an innate disposition to develop a strong bond with the mother figure that occurs during the sensitive period. Since attachment is innate, there is likely a limited developmental window. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay It is said that a child is most sensitive to attachment when he or she is 3 to 6 months old. After this stage, attachment may become more difficult. The internal working model is a set of concepts about relationships and what can be expected of others. In the short term, this gives the child insight into the behavior of caregivers. In the long term, it serves as a model for future relationships because it generates expectations. This is similar to the continuity hypothesis and the idea that emotionally secure infants grow into emotionally secure, trusting, and confident adults. Social releases elicit care such as smiling, crying, looking cute, etc. This induces monotropy, a relationship that the child has with his main attachment figure is of particular importance. Infants also have secondary attachment figures that form a hierarchy. These secondary attachment figures act as a safety net and also contribute to social development. Attachment also promotes independence rather than self-reliance. A secure base helps with this by giving a child a place to come home to after exploring the world. Schaffer and Emmerson showed support for Bowlby's evolutionary theory of attachment by observing 60 babies. They found that infants had many attachments (grandparents, mothers, fathers, friends, etc.). However, they retained a main attachment figure. This was based on quality of care which shows support for monotropy, the idea that we have one attachment figure and a hierarchy of secondary attachments. Harlow also supported Bowlby's theory by showing that baby monkeys who formed an attachment with an unresponsive and unresponsive wire mother became quite maladaptive adults who had difficulty reproducing, i.e. interaction was important. This therefore shows that having a primary attachment figure is innate and is important for emotional and social development. However, the multiple attachment model suggests that there is no primary or secondary attachment. All accessories are integrated into a single model. This shows a weakness in Bowlby's attachment theory, as it asserts that a primary attachment figure is of particular importance in emotional development. It also asserts that secondary attachment figures that form a hierarchy also contribute to social development. The multiple attachment model removes this. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Another weakness is the temperament hypothesis. This indicates that personalities can affect attachment. Belsky and Ravine assessed the babies' ages..