John Erikson's Theory Of Attachment

In the first stage of Erikson’s model, infant explore the world. While their exploration, it can be foreseeable that they face difficulties. If infant can find someone to relied on or receiving care, love from the surrounding, trust could be developed. Having the sense of trust encourage infant keep on discover more uncertainty since they have a hope that they can gain support whenever they face obstacles. For example, when infant first meet dog, they curious about the animals and try to touch it. The dog bark at the infant, they infant will fear at the animals if they cannot get immediate support from parents. However, if the parents care about the baby and tell the baby not to afraid, the baby could have the hope that whenever he/she faces the challenges, their parents would offer help. Hope help infant to develop a positive identity which they are cared by someone, on the contrary, mistrust lead to negative social identity.

Attachment is as an affection or fondness for someone or something. Attachment is “an affectionate bond between two individuals that endures through space and time and serves to join them emotionally”.(Butler.I, Hickman.C ,2011, pg 14) Attachment theory is the theory of how infant and caregiver bond from the works of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991 ).They use the approachs from animal behaviour, how people communicate, how infants process information, how people change over their life , and the unconscious mind. Attachment is “not synonymous with love or affection; it is not an overall descriptor of the relationship between the parent and child which includes other parent–child interactions such as feeding, stimulation, play or problem solving” (Prior, 2006, pg 15)

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (toddlerhood): Following infants’ understanding of a predictable environment, toddlers are starting to realize if they can depend on others. At this stage, toddlers are a step towards developing as an individual, in other

Sigmund Freud (1982) also known as the “Father of Psychoanalysis” claimed that the mother-child connection is an unconscious bond between the infant and the primary caregiver which becomes the dominant force for a pattern of behaviors throughout the infant’s entire lifespan. However, John Bowlby, a British psychologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst developed Freud’s claim further and introduced the attachment theory. According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health “Attachment is one specific aspect of the relationship between a child and a parent with its purpose being to make a child safe, secure and protected. Attachment is distinguished from other aspects of parenting, such as disciplining, entertaining and

According to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, trust vs. mistrust, occurs in the first year of life. Erikson believed that the caregiver’s response to the infant’s cries help them develop a sense of trust, when the caregiver responds right away to the infant’s distress of crying or fussing (Mooney, 2000). Erikson believed that in the earliest years of life, mainly during infancy, patterns of trust or mistrust are formed that control, or at least influence, a person’s actions or interactions for the rest of life (Erikson, 1950).

The paper mainly focuses on the conceptual framework of Attachment theory as well as attachment style of a client with Self-esteem issues that helps in the case formulation and treatment plan in Cognitive Behavioural Theory (CBT). Attachment style can be explained as an emotional connection of one person with another. The aim of this research study is to evaluate an association between attachment theory and cognitive behavioural approaches, explicitly pointing out similarities as well as differences between both. For the research analysis, qualitative research methodology has been selected for which distinctive previous researches, books and journal article resources has been examined as the gathered evidences are based on attachment theory

Bowlby suggested that due to the attachment between children and their carers, children suffer loss when they are separated. Bowlby’s study with the ethologist Robert Hinde, inspired the idea that certain attachment behaviours have evolved as a survival mechanism (Bergen, 2008). The core of the theory today is that the quality of close relationships affects personality, emotional and social development not only in childhood but throughout the life of the individual (Howe, 2001). This suggests that attachment theory is effectively a biological, psychological and social theory of human development.

Attachment Theory states that a strong emotional and physical attachment to at least one primary caregiver is critical to personal development (Dun, Craig p.136). Having a strong attachment to the primary caregiver provides a sense of security and a solid foundation for the child. This theory is the stepping stone to Erick Erickson’s second stage of psychosocial development. During this phase, autonomy vs shame and doubt, a child will have the natural tendency to branch out from the primary caregiver. Children, if permitted to, will develop their own desires, abilities and self-esteem, ideas and thoughts through autonomy. Toddlers in general will want to do things for themselves without help or interference from other people, primarily from

Bowlby believed that infants are a product of evolutionary processes pre-coded with a survival instinct to form an attachment with an individual to provide it with comfort, guidance, safety and security (Bowlby 1958, cited in Lishman 2007) Generally attachments were formed with responsive persons who interacted and played with the child a lot, simple caregiving such as nappy changing was itself not an important factor. This strong attachment to the primary caregiver provides a strong base for exploration and reissuance when the child felt insecure (fox, 1977 pg 109). Bowlby believed that there are four main features of attachment. These are safe haven, he believed that the primary care giver would make the child feel safe, secure base, here

Attachment theory describes the strong emotional and physical ties that infants have with their mothers by helping to keep at least one parent in close proximity. The attachment is an invisible tie that infants have with their mothers and it assists to protect the child and help it in its development. That bond is influenced by, but is not dependent on the attachment behaviors of crying, smiling, and closeness. In order for a child to attach securely, the child needs to feel they are secure and can rely on at least one parent for assistance.

While we talk of the middle child and their behavior perhaps Bowlby 's attachment theory could bring more insight as we look into life of the middle child earlier in their life. Bowlby believed that that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. Bowlby’s evolutionary theory of attachment suggests that children come into the world biologically preprogrammed to form attachments with others, because this will help them to survive. This attachment is primarily done with the mother and that humans have been actually developed a biological need to stay attached to the mother.

Mary Ainsworth’s study on attachment theory continues to be widely discussed today. If a child has been mistreated by a primary caregiver, how does that affect the child? When a child is raised in an abusive household, it has an impact on the child’s life. What do they do? Where do they turn? If their primary caregiver is proven untrustworthy, who can the child trust? Furthermore, how does the child cope? The environment children are raised in has an immense impact on their lives. According to Ainsworth, “attachment refers to an affectional tie that one person forms to another specific individual… attachment is thus discriminating and specific” (Salande & Hawkins, 2016). Without an attachment to an adult, a child has no guidance or direction in life. Therefore, if a child grows up in an unstable family structure, this child is more likely to develop an insecure attachment style in adulthood. Attachment theory confirms the importance of human relationships and their consequences for individual development (Schneider, 1991). As one continues to grow into an adult, it is important to have one to look up to for guidance, no matter what the situation may be.

Adulthood and aging may be viewed as a series of transitions defined by such events.” Lifespan psychology is the study that examines the behavioural patterns and trends that occur through a person’s life, specifically examining growth, change and stability, and how these aspects change a person throughout the course of their life. “Most contemporary approaches in developmental psychology-including the lifespan perspective-examine the entire life-span” (Watts, Cockcroft, & Duncan, 2009). In the past, psychologists had the idea that human development was all based on nature versus nurture. “Over the past century there have been constant debates about the relative influence of “nature” or “nurture” in producing outcomes for individual lives” (Drewery, 2011). This meant that people were either shaped by their environment (nurture) or shaped by their biology (nature). However, this is no longer a valid perspective. People are a product of both nature and nurture. According to (Drewery, 2011), “Jean Piaget (1972) argued that biology is a major underpinning of, and constraint on, human cognition”. By studying lifespan psychology, we learn that while childhood development is important, the way you are brought up and the environment you grow up in, has consequences on your life. We study lifespan psychology to offer an organised account of development across the lifespan of humans, to identify the interconnectivity between earlier and later events. “Life-span developmental psychology involves the study of constancy and change in behaviour throughout the life course (ontogenesis), from conception to death” (Baltes, 1987). One developmental psychologist whose theories are based on the idea of nature AND nurture, is Lev

One of the most important factors that affect a child 's development is the relationship and attachment of the child with their primary caregiver. John Bowlby studied the development of the child; he was interested in how childhood relationships affected kids as they grew older and became adults. He was also concerned with the relationship of the child and primary caregiver and how they interacted, and the effect this had on later life. Bowlby 's theory established that children’s earliest relationships shaped their later development and characterized their human life, "from the cradle to the grave"(Bowlby, 1998). The attachment style that an infant develops with their parent later reflects on their overall person. Bowlby 's attachment theory had vast investigation done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the interactions between mother and child, specifically, the theme of an infant’s investigation of their surroundings and the separation from their mother. This essay will focus on Bowlby’s attachment theory and Mary Ainsworth’s experiments and findings, discussing their views on the development and importance of attachment in early life.

The importance of fathers and the degree of contact with their children can be essential in the development of children. People go through many stages of development. According to Erik Erikson (1902-1994) who was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, known for theories about the social development of man, it is important to resolve the conflicts that occur during each stage of development to be able to continue to the next stage of development. Identity develops within a psychosocial context. As the child grows up, they come in contact with a more complex social network of family, neighbors, teachers and friends, all of which have an influence on the establishment of the identity. From this theoretical assumption