John Bowlby's Theory of Attachment

John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
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John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
Whenever an individual is emotionally bonded with someone else, attachment usually begins. Nonetheless, the things which take place with the presence of an attachment are actually not easy to understand. As such, attachment theorists emerged. John Bowlby is arguably the most well-known of this grouping of theorists considering that he was actually the first psychologist who initiated a wide-ranging study on attachment (Cherry 2009, p. 12). Attachment, according to John Bowlby, is what really keeps a child connected to his or her mother taking into consideration that only the baby’s parent can satisfy the baby’s needs (Kirkpatrick 2012, p. 234). This paper provides a critical evaluation of John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment with reference to clinical and theoretical issues. The critical evaluation comprises the identification of limitations and strengths of the theory with regard to its application to practice. A discussion of how this theory is applicable in my work with clients is provided – balance of theory and practice.
Account of John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment
Bowlby (1997, p. 12) stated that attachment theory is essentially focused on the bonds as well as relationships between individuals, especially lasting relationships including the relationships between a child and a parent as well as the relationships between romantic partners. John Bowlby was the leading theorist on the subject of attachment. He defined attachment as a long-term emotional linkage between persons. John Bolby was born in 1907 and died in 1990 (Waters et al., 2009, p. 240). According to John Bowlby, the initial ties formed by kids with their caregivers or mothers have a major impact that actually goes on all through their life. Bowlby stated that attachment also keeps the baby close to the mother/caregiver and in so doing improves the infant’s chances of survival. John Bowlby saw attachment as a product of the processes of evolution (Bowlby 2005, p. 61). Whereas behavioural theories of attachment proposed that attachment was simply a learned process, John and others suggested that kids are born with a natural drive to form attachments with their caregivers. All through history, kids who upheld proximity to an attachment figure were in fact more likely to be given protection and comfort, and were thus more probable to live to adulthood (Dent 2010, p. 18).
Behaviourists proposed that food is what determines successful attachment behaviour between a caregiver and a child. John Bowlby and others, nonetheless, showed that responsiveness and nurturance were the main determinants of attachment (Mikulincer & Shaver 2008, p. 99). In attachment theory, the central theme is that primary caregivers who are both available and are responsive to the needs of the infant allow the baby to develop a sense of security. In essence, the child knows that his or her caregiver is reliable; this serves to create a secure base for the baby to then explore the world (Holmes 2014, p. 45).
Main Points of John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
An infant has a natural need to attach to a single key attachment figure
Even though Bowlby did not exclude the likelihood of other attachment figures for an infant, he believed that there has to be a primary or key bond that was much more significant than any other bond – typically the mother (Holmes 2014, p. 45). He suggested that this attachment is dissimilar in kind from any attachments the child develops later in life. Bowlby believes that the relationship between the child and his/her mother is rather dissimilar from other relationships. He proposed that the nature of monotropy implied that failure to commence or start the maternal attachment will result in serious unconstructive outcomes, possibly including affectionless psychopathy (Bowlby 2008, p. 17). Monotropy refers to the attachment that is conceptualized as being a close and vital bond with only a single attachment figure (Gold 2011). The baby behaves in manners that bring out proximity or contact to the caregiver. Whenever an infant experiences increased arousal, then she or he will signal the caregiver. Some of these signalling behaviours include locomotion, smiling, and crying. The caregivers instinctively respond to the behaviour of their children and in so doing create a reciprocal pattern of interaction (Gold 2011).
An infant needs to be given the continuous care of this one most significant attachment figure roughly the initial 2 years of life
Bowlby pointed out that mothering is virtually of no use if it is delayed until 2 ½ years to 3 years and, for nearly all babies, if it is delayed until past 1 year (Bowlby 2008, p. 18). If the attachment figure is disrupted or broken in the crucial 24-month phase, the baby would experience permanent lasting effects of this maternal deprivation (Stroebe & Archer 2013, p. 30). John Bowlby employed the phrase maternal deprivation in referring to the loss or separation of the mother and inability to establish or form an attachment.
The lasting consequences of maternal deprivation may encompass decreased intelligence, gloominess, misbehaviour, affectionless psychopathy, and increased aggression.
Affectionless psychopathy is an incapability of showing concern or affection for other individuals. These types of persons usually act on impulse and do not care about the consequences of their deeds, for instance not feeling guilty for actions that are antisocial (Bowlby 1997, p. 43; Holmes 2014, p. 46).
Temporary separation from an attachment figure brings about distress.
The three progressive stages for distress are (i) protest – the infant screams, cries, and protests in an angry manner whenever the parent leaves. To stop their parent from going away, they would try to cling to the parent (Bowlby 2005, p. 37). (ii) Despair – the protesting of the baby starts to end and they appear calmer even though they are still disturbed. The baby refuses the attempts of others to comfort him/her and usually appears uninterested or withdrawn in anything. (iii) Detachment: if the separation persists, the baby will begin to engage with other individuals again. They would refuse the caregiver when she returns and exhibit strong signs of anger (Bowlby 2008, p. 21).
The baby’s attachment relationship with their key caregiver causes the internal working model to develop
This internal working model is basically a cognitive framework that comprises mental representations for understanding self, others, and the world. An individual’s interaction with other people is guided by memories as well as expectations from their internal model that influence and help in evaluating their contact with others (Bowlby 2008, p. 24; Stroebe & Archer 2013, p. 30).
Application of Theory to Practice: Bereavement counselling and supporting the bereaved
Since my practice is in bereavement, Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment is discussed in relation to grief and bereavement. Bereavement is understood as the process of mourning that takes place after the loss of something of personal value or the loss of a person. Bereavement is a general experience. In the clinical setting, bereavement usually comes after the death of a loved one.
Kouriatis and Brown (2011, p. 222) stated that the experiences of grief is actually a function of attachment and attachment influences people’s experiences with grief. An illustration of John Bowlby’s pattern of grief is observed whenever the baby is separated from a parent from an extended time period. At first, tears of protest might be presented in hopes that anguish expressed would result in reunion with the parent. However, when the child realizes that immediate reunion is unlikely to occur, the child will withdraw into a sense of despair. If the separation is prolonged with time, the infant will forget about the caregiver, leading to detachment, even if and when the caregiver comes back. At my place of work, I have observed components of protest, despair, and detachment with grieving people.
Grief, according to John Bowlby, is a normal biological reaction to the loss of someone close as an individual attempts to reduce separation and re-establish lost ties or attachments (Bowlby 1997, p. 44). Bowlby hypothesized that attachment develops in adults and babies in a similar way for a safe base from where to engage in exploring the world. He added that mourning takes place whenever the links or ties of attachment are established but the figure of attachment is still not available. As a result, this loss of someone close signifies losing a key source of psychological or emotional security resulting in fear as well as uncertainty (Bowlby 2008, p. 29).
As the bereaved tries to reclaim an attachment figure, 4 stages can be experienced though not always sequentially. The loss will force the bereaved person to redefine their identity and change their assumptions regarding the world. When the grieving comes to an end, the bereaved person forms new attachments, whilst mental sadness of the deceased loved one is used as a secure base or safe base in place of physical presence (Dent 2010, p. 19). The 4 major stages in the process of grief include the following:
(i) Denial, shock, and numbness with a sense of unreality. During this stage, there is a sense that the loss of the loved one is not real and it appears impossible to accept. The bereaved has physical distress that may lead to somatic symptoms (Bowlby 2008, p. 35). In my practice at the place of work, the bereavement counsellor will help the bereaved individual to progress through this stage. The bereavement counselling will help the bereaved to accept and understand their emotions and communicate them. Without the counselling, the bereaved may shutdown emotionally and fail to move through the stages of g...