Attachment theory

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…