Original formulation of attachment Essay Example for Free

Original formulation of attachment Essay The attachment theory was produced by John Bowlby and colleagues in the 1950s. Influenced by the work of Freud and Harlow, amongst others, Bowlby drew on ethological concepts to develop his theory. Early on in an infants life they build a close contact with a significant object. From these early relationships with their attachment objects infants create what Bowlby called internal working models (IWM) (Oates et al. 2005). The Robertsons (1989) brought to light the distress infants experience when they are separated from their attachment figure, this lead Bowlbys instigation to incorporate separation anxiety into his theory.   Mary Ainsworths (1954, 1978) work on maternal deprivation enabled Bowlbys ideas to be empirically tested through designing the Strange Situation and attachment classification (Oates et al. 2005). Bowlbys theory envisaged attachment classifications to continue through generations (Oates et al. 2005). Main et al. (1994) devised an equivalent classification for adults that were assessed through the Adult Attachment Interview, (AAI). Having a stable and long term relationship with carers was a feature that Bowlby thought was important in order to develop good IWM; Hamilton (1994) subsequent research explores this idea.  Bowlby integrated the work of Winnicott on good enough mothering that was later explored by researchers such as Vondra et al. (1995).  The predictive value of the Strange Situation on later attachments was challenged by Lamb et al. (1985).  Baumrinds model of parenting style extended Bowlbys work on IWM and the cultural context in which the theory was originally formulated looked into. The quality of having a reciprocal relationship is an important factor in attachment. The attachment theory has enabled research to branch off into investigating some of the reasons linked with attachment that may cause disturbed behaviour.  Ainsworth was the first to contribute and solidify Bowlbys theory of attachment with respects to having a secure base as a means of exploring the world.  Building on the observations of the Robertsons (1989) and on the pioneering work done by Harlow (1958), Ainsworth set out to study maternal deprivation. During her research in Africa in 1954 she developed Bowlbys work on separation anxiety by observing the behaviour of children, not when they were separated with their attachment figure but reunited as the difference in behaviour was more apparent (Oates et al. 2005).  For the duration of her research in Baltimore, Ainsworth used Bowlbys theory on IWM to expand the theory of attachment. Four different types of attachment emerged as a result of maternal sensitivity; secure (Type B), insecure-resistant or ambivalent (Type C), insecure-avoidant (Type A) (Ainsworth 1978) and disoriented and/or disorganised (Type D) (Main and Solomon 1990). She entwined attachment types to IWM to develop the attachment theory and successfully solidified their work through the Strange Situation, a gold standard procedure now commonly used as a method of studying infant attachment (Oates et al. 2005).  Through this procedure Ainsworth was able to relate attachment classification to different IWM.  The Strange Situation gave justice to Bowlbys theory on how a child builds up a working model of how attachment figures are likely to behave toward him in a variety of situations and on those models are based all his expectations (Bowlby, 1973, p.369). A further incentive to develop the study of internal working models was Mains (1994) attempt to translate Ainsworths infant-mother attachment classifications to equivalent adult classification.  Bowlbys original formulation suggests consistency across generations in attachment style (Oates et al. 2005). Main developed the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) to asses an adults ability to integrate early memories of their relationships with their parents into overarching working models of relationship (Oates et al. 2005, p.38). From the AAI adults were classified into three categories; Dismissing; autonomous and preoccupied. These three types of adult classification can then be associated with infant attachment types. Dismissing adults would be related to insecure avoidant (Type A) infant attachment, infants securely attached (Type B) would develop into autonomous adults and adults who were classified as preoccupied would have had an insecure attachment type as infants (Focus Collection 3. 2005). Mains work took Bowlbys work up a generation to follow through his work on IWM. Making use of Ainsworth empirical methods that tested Bowlbys ideas, the Strange Situation type classification proved to be a partially good predictor of adult attachment types (Oates et al. 2005). Hamilton (1994) found this to be true in cases where the childs circumstances had remained stable. Cases where life events such as divorce or parental illness had occurred could be held accountable for the change in attachment type (Hamilton, 1994). Bowlby believed in the notion of good enough mothering (Oates et al. 2005). Influenced by the work of Winnicott an aspect of the Bowlbys theory is for the attachment figure should allow just the right amount of delay in meeting the infants needs to encourage both tolerance of waiting and confidence in ultimate satisfaction (Oates et al. 2005, p.25). The parental behaviour towards an infant is thus very much a central cause for the childs attachment type that he or she develops from their IWM. Subsequent research has investigated the influences on attachment. Vondra et al. carried out a study in 1995 that showed consistent parental behaviours could be used as a reasonable predictor of their children classification type. Caregivers that were sensitive tended to have securely attached infants (Type B), infants classified as avoidant (Type A) were probable to have controlling mothers and ambivalent infants (Type C) were likely to have unresponsive mothers (Oates et al. 2005).