FMST 210 Lecture Notes - John Bowlby, Attachment Theory, Mary Ainsworth
Document Summary
Attachment theory (developed by john bowlby) chapter 6 (2 of 2) Attachment theory is revealed in bowlby"s famous trilogy (three books) entitled attachment (1969), Separation (1973), and loss (1980): the influence of ethology - overlaps w/ part ii (lorenz"s imprinting) Bowlby viewed attachment behaviours as evolutionary behaviours, that is, behaviours primarily designed to ensure an infant"s survival. According to bowlby, instinctual behaviours such as sucking, clinging, following, crying and smiling serve a survival purpose because they bring infants and primary attachment figures closer together, which indirectly protects infants and promotes their survival. Bowlby noticed that an infant"s attachment behaviours would become uncontrollably activated by situations that an infant perceived as potentially stressful. These stressful situations included hearing a loud/unfamiliar noise, the sudden appearance of a strange/unfamiliar person or animal, and having their caregiver out of sight (parental separation). 0 2 years: attachment formation is not complete at birth. Bowlby described four phases in the attachment formation process.
