Why do babies develop attachments?

Lesson Three

Starter

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Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory

• Attachment is vital for survival• Humans have evolved to the point that infants

have an innate tendency to form attachments - in other words it is natural and biological

• Adults are also innately programmed to respond to and bond with, their infants

• This attachment has a long term benefit in the sense that it forms the basis for all our relationships

Innate programming

• All psychological and physiological characteristics are naturally selected. Through natural selection, to ensure that the baby survives to reach maturity and reproduce

• Babies produce instincts such as crying which means that the caregiver responds to them

• Mothers have natural instincts to care for their children and ensure their surival

• All about ensuring the survival of the genes

Critical period

• Attachment between infant and caregiver should not be disrupted or broken at any point during the first three years of life

• If an attachment is not made within the first three years then the child will grow up to have ‘affectionless psychopathy’

Monotropy

• A single attachment to the person who is the most important to them (usually the mother)

• One relationship is more important than any of the others and this exists throughout the life of the child

• This was a very controversial part of his theory

Internal working model

• The first relationship between the infant and the primary caregiver provided the child with an internal working model or template for their future relationships.

• This model influences relationships later on in life

• Looked at Harlow’s work and decided that the mother is like a ‘safe base’ providing comfort and security

It’s like a jungle out there.....

• All of the attachment behaviours serve to promote the survival of the infant

• This is an evolutionary process

Plenary Lorenz’s study as support for Bowlby• Studied the behaviour of geese who ‘imprint’ on

the first object they see• Divided a group of geese eggs into two, half left

with the mother and the other half in an incubator

• When those in the incubator hatched, the first living thing they saw was Lorenz and they followed him around

• Placed back with their mother, the ones in the incubators still continued to follow Lorenz

Applications of study to Bowlby

• A young animal that follows its mother is more likely to be safe from predators, be fed and learn how to find their food

• More likely to survive and reproduce• Shows the importance of the critical period –

the geese formed an attachment to the primary caregiver very quickly (even if it was Lorenz!)