Attachment theory
- Created by: Katalan
- Created on: 23-01-18 21:37
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Theories of Attachment
- Psychoanalytic theory
- > attachment linked to gratification of innate drives
- Learning theory
- > primary drive of hunger is reduced by primary reinforcer (food) and secondary reinforcer (person who feeds)
- Ethological theory: born to love?
- > born with innate behavioural tendancies to promote attachment between infant and caregiver, allows survival of species during evolution, protects young from predator
- > Lorenz (1935) saw attachment as having a critical period in which it must develop
- -- in ducks, it's few hours after hatching, he called this 'imprinting'
- -- ducklings imprinted on him and followed him everywhere as he was first thing they saw
- -- this attachment is innate and has survival value
- > Bowlby believed attachment was instinctive and influenced by ethological theory
- -- during human evolution, babies who stayed close to mothers survived and had own kids
- -- he hypothesised that infants and mothers have a biological need to stay in contact
- -- child initially forms one attachment which acts as secure base for exploring world and a prototype for all future relationship, so has serious consequences if disrupted
Harry F. Harlow
- Reared baby monkeys in isolation, so had bizarre behaviour, eg. clutching own body and rocking back and forth, unable to socialise
- -- privation is damaging to monkeys
- Cloth mother and food mother, monkeys chose cloth mother for comfort, showing warmth and touch are more important than feeding
- -- when frightened, monkeys go to comfort mother
- == want of love can damage an infant for…
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