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http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/attachment/online/nature%20of%20the%20childs%20tie%20bowlby.pdf Link John Bowlby- Child's Tie to Mother

http://as-psychology.pbworks.com/w/page/9174248/AttachmentsDevelopment

https://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html

Developing Attachments

To be accepted in society, young infants need to learn socialisation so they know what is expected of them and the norms to be part of society. Before children learn socialisation, the child needs to form an attachment to other people. When the attachments occur, they are very important for the development of the child, so that is why there is a lot of psychologists are looking at early social development.

People called ethologists believe that to survive as an infant, forming a bond to the caregiver is very important, especially within the first hours after birth which is referred to as the 'critical period' or within a more extend period referred to as the 'sensitive period'. Mary Ainsworth, a developmental psychologist goes further to explain how attachment is not just dependent on the critical and sensitive periods but also how the mother responds to her child. Furthermore, there is Sigmund Freud who is the one that is said to have said that to develop personality normally, such as the superego which is for conscience, it is important to form an close emotional bond to the caregiver.

The first year of life for an infant to form an emotional bond to the caregiver is very important. If not, John Bowlby who was influenced by the works of Freud and ethologists explain how there can be major consequences. Ainsworth is the person to said that an infant is expected to feel comfort and secure in the world in order to feel safe to examine their surroundings when attached to the caregiver.

Psychoanalytic and behaviourist theories are usually against each other. However, when it comes to attachment, they both agree that an attachment is formed for the child to be able to get the basic needs for survival. Freud's psychoanalytic theory explains that the mother is the person who will give the child what they need such as food and security, and that behaviourists also believe that children will be attached to whoever can help their needs to survive. This is where conditioning comes into play as the caregiver becomes what we call the 'conditioned reinforcer' as the baby will associate the caregiver as the person to satisfy their needs and desires and make them feel enjoyment and fulfillment. The two examples with Freud and the behaviourists show how attachment is like 'cupboard love' in that the infant loves their caregiver because that is who is satisfying their needs.

The psychoanalytic and behaviourist theories mentioned above have been proven wrong with attachment, and that attachment can still occur when caregiving needs are not met. Think of the Harlow and Zimmerman study with the rhesus monkeys who proved that attachment is not just formed with a caregiver satisfying their needs. The monkeys went to the mother that had the cloth to provide comfort opposed to the mother that would satisfy their needs with the bottle. They found out that even if caregiving activities are not present, attachments can still be formed.

In agreement with Freud on the importance of an emotional relationship with the mother to form an attachment is Bowlby. Bowlby believes like the ethologists that infants and their mothers use skills that are genetically inherited like smiling and crying to form a bond. Furthermore, the mother likewise uses her what Bowlby refers to as a 'genetic blueprint' to respond to her baby. The bond needs to be done within a critical period and the bond with the mother is unlike any other bond formed with other people. If the bond is not formed it can cause the child to have problems socially, cognitively and emotionally.