Attachment Theory
...Background: Attachment theory is originated from psycho-analytical, combined the wisdom of ethology, biology and developmental psychology. The central theme of the theory is the essence of an infant¡¦s tie to his/her primary caregiver which is vital to current and later psychological functioning. It is an individualistic theory as it describes the interaction between an infant and one person (e.g. mother) or few significant caregivers.
3. Epistemic Orientation: The theory is built on ethological concept of behavioral systems which are inspired by Lorenz¡¦s (1952) studies of imprinting in baby geese, and the biological based system of behavior that exists between the attachment figure and the child. Theory is built on developmental psychology and observable experiences of hospitalized and institutionalized children who are isolated kept apart from their parents.
4. Evolution of the theory: The founder, John Bowlby, participated as a volunteer at a school for maladjusted children in 1930s after his graduation. He got inspiration from the personality developmental problems of two school boys. One was a very distant and an affectionless boy who had no stable mother figure and was prone to stealing, whereas another was so anxious that he always acted as a shadow of Bowlby. His curiosity of the effects of early family relationships on personality development prompted him to pursue his career in the child psychiatry. John Bowlby discovered the linkage between the personality development of oneself to histories of maternal deprivation and separation from his first empirical study. Bowlby did a research project on the hospitalized and institutionalized children who were separated from their parents in 1948. The major conclusion was a close, warm and continuous caregiving relationship was fundamental to grow up mentally healthy. Bowlby disagreed with...
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