Edward John Mostyn Bowlby — : A British child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded attachment theory, drawing on evolutionary theory and ethology, cybernetics, and cognitive theory. John Bowlby, a psychoanalyst and child psychiatrist, sought to reform and modernize psychoanalysis to give it a scientific basis, as he was unsatisfied with parts of its metatheory.
Bowlby was particularly concerned with the psychoanalytic explanation of why children develop strong emotional bonds — attachments — to their caregivers, monitoring proximity to the caregiver s and showing distress upon separations.
Attachment was at the time considered secondary to other processes, such as special forms of psychical energies, which Bowlby argued was unscientific. As outlined below, Bowlby came to draw on ethology, cybernetics, and cognitive psychology and argued that humans and other primates over the course of evolution have developed an attachment behavioral control Skip to main content Skip to table of contents.
This service is more advanced with JavaScript available. Editors: Todd K. Shackelford, Viviana A. Contents Search. John Bowlby: Pioneer of Attachment Theory. Living reference work entry First Online: 21 September How to cite. Definition Edward John Mostyn Bowlby — : A British child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded attachment theory, drawing on evolutionary theory and ethology, cybernetics, and cognitive theory.
This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access. Ainsworth, M. Infancy in Uganda: Infant care and the growth of love. Google Scholar. Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale: Erlbaum. Bowlby, J. The influence of early environment in the development of neuroses and neurotic character. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 21 , — Maternal care and mental health.
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Slade A, Holmes J. Attachment and psychotherapy. Curr Opin Psychol. Sable P. Attachment, ethology and adult psychotherapy. Attach Hum Dev. Stevenson-hinde J. Attachment theory and John Bowlby: some reflections. Barett H. Parents and children: facts and fallacies about attachment theory. J Fam Health Care. PMID: Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind.
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International Journal of Psychoanalysis. Attachment and loss: Vol. Therefore, infants will seek their parents particularly in times of distress.
When the caretaker is readily available, the child feels secure and can use the caretaker as a safe base. One type of danger is internal stimuli such as hunger or pain. The other type of danger is external stimuli such as a physical threat in the environment.
The location and response of the mother is vital because attachment seeking behavior stops upon contact with the caretaker. In attachment theory, Bowlby posits the existence of five major behavioral systems exploratory, fear, sociable, caregiving and attachment.
The development of wariness towards new and sudden events and unfamiliar humans is a survival mechanism. The infant becomes more wary from the age of 6 months months. This is advantageous because infants of that age are vulnerable to danger from the world as well as other humans and cannot yet determine potential causes of harm. Another behavioral system is the exploratory system. Activation of the fear system increases attachment behavior by focusing on finding protection while activation of the exploratory system on the other hand, can reduce attachment behaviors.
However, if the caretaker provides a secure base, then the fear system can deactivate and reactivate the exploratory system. Representational models. The child relies on this model when deciding what type of attachment behavior to use in specific circumstances and with particular individuals.
According to Bowlby, internal working models are accurate cognitive representations of interactions between the child and caretaker. Another theorist who refers to representational models is Stern All of these terms refer to an internal template of interpersonal relationships. According to Stern, RIGS clearly represent reality and are abstractions made by the child of the prototype of self-caretaker interactions.
Bowlby states that if a child experiences a dependable and consistent relationship with an attachment figure, the child will develop confidence in the self and trust in others. If, however, a caretaker is unavailable for an extended period of time, the child feels threatened and hostile. A working model of self as devalued comes from a working model of parents as rejecting and ignoring of attachment behavior or as interfering with exploration.
Therefore, individuals will develop internal working models of a devalued self based on insecure attachment to parents. Of the four categories, one category is considered to be secure and three are considered to be insecure. They are: secure, fearful, preoccupied and avoidant. For example, an individual with a positive self-model and a positive other model will be securely attached because that person feels good about self and others and positive about interpersonal relationships.
An individual with a negative self model and a negative other model will be fearfully attached because that person does not feel good about self or other, and will feel ambivalent about interpersonal relationships. An individual with a negative model of self and positive model of other will fit into the preoccupied attachment group, feeling needy and attempting to make contact with others due to negative feelings of self worth.
An individual with a negative model of other and positive model of self will fit into the avoidant attachment group, avoiding contact with others and feeling negatively about interpersonal relationships. According to them, avoidance is discomfort with closeness and dependency.
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