Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (State) Date Word Count: 2203 Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology 1.0. Introduction The attachment theory provides the basis of the relationship between two people, their interpersonal relations, which determine the whole mental and psychological structure of a person: a person’s attitude to himself, to the world, various experiences, and cognitive and creative abilities. Since the first connections with another person arise in early childhood, so this theory primarily associates with childhood attachment perspectives. J. Bowlby was the founder of the Theory of Attachment while Ainsworth was his follower. J. Bowlby emphasized that the attachment system has its own intrinsic motivation, which includes two opposing trends: the desire for the new, the danger and the search for support and protection. He believed that the attachment system is activated when confronted with a dangerous and unknown and does not work in the usual safe environment. Accordingly, the greater the danger, the higher the need for contact with the mother and her protection, and in the absence of danger, physical separation from the object of attachment is possible. On the other hand, M. Ainsworth emphasizes that the sensitivity and support of the mother are expressed not only in love for the child and in caring for him, but also in respect for his independence and impulsiveness. The need for the individual as well as independent activity is initially one of the main needs of the child, and its satisfaction depends on the sensitivity and flexibility of the mother. 1.1. Research Question Compare and contrast Bowlby’s and Ainsworth’s views on the development of attachment. 2.0. Discussion Similarities between Bowlby’s and Ainsworth’s Theories Interpersonal relationships and attachment are the basis of socialization and intellectual development, they connect a person or child with other people and thus allow to isolate one’s self and develop personality and form an identity. The founders of the attachment theory were J. Bowlby and M. Ainsworth. Considering attachment theory, it should be noted that it arose at the intersection of the psychoanalytic and ethological approach. A major similarity between both theories is the aspects of the relationship between child and mother. According to them, mainly with the mother is central. It is the experience of relations with the mother in the first year of life that gives rise to attachment to her, which in many respects determines the further course of the child’s mental and personal development. However, the child's attachment is not defined as a desire for pleasure, for example, food, but primarily as the need for protection and safety. Moreover, both J. Bowlby and M. Ainsworth focused on the notion that the primary attachment occurs in the second half of the first year of life. Although from the first weeks the infant reacts to the effects of the mother, these reactions are fragmented, scattered and situational (Bowlby 2018).  This is confirmed by the fact that children up to 6 months easily adapt to new adults and to new conditions of life during adoption. After 7 months Infants are very hard and painful to experience separation from their mother and get used to new adults with great difficulty. However, during 8 - 9 months, there is a motivational-behavioural system, in the center of which is a certain figure that provides security and safety (Fig. 1).  However, it is also believed that activation or deactivation refers to the behavioral level, but not to the motivational attachment system, which retains its stability regardless of external situational conditions. Nevertheless, the research and educational interests of the child distract him from the mother, and the feeling of fear and danger returns to her. The main function of the object of affection, according to J. Bowlby, is not to satisfy the innate need for love (as in classical psychoanalysis) and not to satisfy the physiological needs of the child (as in behaviorism), but to provide protection and safety (Waters and Sroufe 2017). Therefore, the presence of attachment is a prerequisite for the research behavior and cognitive development of the child. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Stages of Attachment (Cherry 2019a) By the end of the year, attachment is fixed on a certain person, and as a result of the internalization of relations with him, the so-called working model is formed. The working model is the central concept of attachment theory. This concept was introduced to rethink and develop the psychoanalytic concept of relationships and is extremely important in the context of attachment theory. J. Bowlby suggested that in the process of interacting with other people and with the world, an individual constructs working models of the most important aspects of this world, with the help of which he perceives and interprets various events. The working model could be called the deep structure of self-consciousness or attitude, although the connection of this model with consciousness is rather ambiguous. Further, it is more difficult to detect differences in the behavior of avoiding and ambivalent children. As expected, children who were referred to as ambivalent in infancy continue to show anxiety and dependence in their behavior. But also children, initially classified as avoiding, often display very dependent behavior. Perhaps avoiding the pattern of alienated independence is fixed no earlier than 15 years of age or so. If the inability to develop imprinting explains the effects of residential deprivation, there must be some critical period after which these effects become irreversible. That is, babies experiencing a lack of interaction with people up to a certain age may never develop adequate social behavior. The founder of the theories also emphasized that the mother herself is not perceived by a child; rather through the mother, a child perceives and realizes himself and the world around him. The working model does not lend itself to specific description and scientific analysis, but within this model, it is possible to identify the following oppositions and concepts. The quality of the child's attachment is determined by the attitude of the mother towards him and is highly correlated with maternal behavior. So, the children have the most sensitive, attentive and warm mothers who understand and satisfy all their needs. Differences between Bowlby’s and Ainsworth’s Theories Although being a follower, Ainsworth’s perspectives differ from the ones of Bowlby....