Psychology 3724F/G Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Mental Model, Mary Ainsworth, John Bowlby

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 3724F/G
• Professor: Lorne Campbell

Document Summary

Importance of attachment: need to belong, the human need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships. The same feeling that keeps a romantic couple bonded may be what keeps them attached to their children. Process is why we form attachments in the first place. Attachment theory: from cradle to grave, evolutionary theory of social behaviour. Bowlby, linked social development into a railway system, each new experience creates a branch point, changing path. Said all humans have an innate attachment system that was shaped by evolution to keep vulnerable infants in proximity to mother. Part of natural selection, occurs in three stages with both a normative component and an individual-difference component. Later stated that stress is the main indicator of attachment style, this is when behaviour comes to play. Normative component: typical features of attachment that apply to everyone, how bonds form and remain stable. Infants born underdeveloped allowed for them to bond and rely on care givers.