What Factors Will Influence Whether A Child

Essay by PaczekCollege, UndergraduateB, March 2010

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Attachment theory is a theoretical approach concerned with the relationships that humans form. This is a psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory, which Bowlby (1969) stated that 'a very important factor of the attachment theory is that a young child must create a stable relationship with at least one primary care provider in order to develop normal social and emotional development for future relationships.' As much as attachments are very important in a child's life, there are different types of attachments that may be formed including secure and insecure ones. Therefore in order to address the question the essay will be highlighting the diverse factors which lead such attachments to develop.

John Bowlby was the man behind creating the basic components of this theory. He believed that in order to observe a child's attachment to its mother disruption must be experienced through; separation, deprivation and bereavement. Bowlby's theories led Ainsworth to conduct an original methodology to test these ideas.

During the 1970's Mary Ainsworth formulated a procedure, which she named 'A Strange Situation.' This method allowed her to observe the attachment formed between the child and care provider. The procedure this research design was to observe the child playing around for approximately 20 minutes while the care provider (i.e. mother or father) is asked to leave the room. This was meant to represent a child's normal daily life in their own environment. This involved a stranger entering the room whilst the child's caregiver was not in the room, hence the name 'Strange Situation.' The procedure continued over several trials depending on the distress the child was going through. The two main tenets of the obstruction were the amount of exploration the child exhibited as well as the reaction of the child during the departure and entrance of their care...