Describe And Evaluate Two Theories Of Development Psychology Essay

Describe and evaluate two approaches/ theories in Development Psychology
Edward Bowlby was a British psychologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst born in London in 1907. His work was largely based around child development. He founded The Attachment Theory. Bowlby defined attachment as a ‘lasting psychological connectedness between human beings’ –( 1969, p 194). According to Bowlby (1958) attachment can be understood within an evolutionary context in that the caregiver provides safety and security for an infant. This enhances the infant’s chances of survival.
Bowlby believed that all humans were born with the innate drive to form an attachment. He believed the first, and most important attachment should be formed with the mother, this is defined as monotropy. He hypothesised that this attachment should take place as soon as after birth as possible, but by no later than 24 months of age. This is what is known as the critical

Attempting to explain something as complex as human behaviour with something as simple as food. The learning theory does not take into account all of the other benefits a child gets whilst being fed by their mother. The closeness, comfort, warmth, and stimulation a child receives during a feed is all disregarded. In general, the learning theory relies on animal studies. Any study based on animals looking to evaluate human behaviour needs to be done with caution as humans are much more complex than animals and the correlation many not necessarily prove valid.
The nature-nurture debate looks at human behaviour as a whole and tries to identify to what extent do biological factors and the environment shape a person. Bowlby’s theory was one of evolutionary as he believed that attachment was innate. He believed that infants come into this world with a drive to form a monotropic attachment with their mother. Social releasers indicate that Bowlby was correct as they insure a caregiving response from