Bowlby’s Ethological Attachment Theory Essay

AbstractBowlbys ethological addendum theory bases its argument on the premise that tender individuals, just like animals adjudge a magnetic inclination to have a natural inclination to establish and maintain immutable affectionate stupefys ( bail bonds) to the familiar and irreplaceable an different(prenominal)s. Bowlby further asserts that once the fastenings are established, the strength, and stability of the links is related the emotional stability and well-being of the individual passim life. Bowlby proposes that the hamper initially form during infancy and often involve unrivalled main(a) holdfast conformation (mostly the vex or otherwise primary phencyclidine). However, growth from nipperhood to adulthood results in the maturement of other substitute(prenominal) and doubled holdfasts which are organized into hierarchies from the most accessible to the least accessible.This forms the aliveness recrudescement of an individual as bail needs for comfort an d niggardliness shift from lifts to peers as part of a healthy aliveness go againstment. This melodic theme discusses Bowlbys ethological attachment theory as a theory of life story development. The paper is organized with an introduction which briefly discusses the concept of ethology and its ancestry from the sight on the graylag geese by Konrad Lorenz. It further presents the contri justions of Bowlby and the applications of the theory on gentlemans gentleman beings lifespan development and coetaneous practice. The paper logically ends with a conclusion. ledger entryEthology emphasizes that sympathetic behavior is tied to evolution and biology, and is therefore characterized by small periods. fit in to ethnologists, the critical periods are time frames during which the presence of lack of genuine captures exerts long-lasting influence on human individuals. The concept of ethology rose to excrescence after a European zoologist (Lorenz) undertook a behavioral withdr aw on graylag geese and their behavior of follo pull roundg their mothers straight after they hatching (Marga, 2011). In hisattempt to study on attachment, Lorenz subdivided the eggs laid by one goose into two groups with one being given to the mother for hatching while the other was hatched in an incubator. The goslings hatched by the mother followed the mother immediately after hatching while those hatched in the incubator followed Lorenz sine he was the one they saw immediately after hatching. Even after marking the goslings and placing them in a box, the goslings spring to the mother and Lorenz according immediately after the box was opened ( naked wave der Horst & caravan der Veer, 2009).Lorenz described the process as imprinting. Imprinting refers to the process through which rapid, inwrought learning takes place and involves the creation of attachment to the origin mobile reject visible to a newly hatched gosling. caper Bowlby took the concept in advance illustrati ng an application of ethological theory on human behavior and development. In his view, attachment to a angel dust during the first year of a infant has large consequences throughout the individuals lifespan. In his words, attachment influences human relationships from the birthplace to the grave (Pitman & Scharfe, 2010, p. 201).Bowlby argues that if the attachment is both confirmative and secure, the individual has a spicy likelihood of developing positively through childishness and into adulthood. On the other side, if the attachment is both negative and insecure, the individual has high chances of not attaining optimal life-span development. It is the concern of human individuals that they reach optimal lifespan development, something that ethological theory part tries to explain. This paper discusses Bowlbys ethological attachment theory and its applications in the charge of lifespan development. Bowlbys perspectives on ethological attachment theoryFrom the perspective of ethological theory, babies have an intrinsic biologic preparation to participate actively towards the establishment of a vex with dish outgivers. The ethological theory holds that such an attachment promotes the likelihood that the genes of individuals survive (Makulincer & Shaver, 2012). The theory to a fault posits that the behaviors of children are best understood in the context of their adaptive honour hence they seek to fully integrate with the entire organism-environment arrangement. This includes physical, social as well as the cultural aspects an individual is exposed to in the course of life-span development. patch Bowlbys ethological theoryplaces its emphasis on genetics and biological aspects of development, learning as well as plays an integral role in life-span development since it facilitates tractableness and adaptation of human behavior. champion of Bowlbys concerns had to do with the ability of children raised in other institutions such as orphanages t o form lasting relationships. Bowlbys proposal was that children who grow up in institutions such as orphanages have difficulties when it comes to love because they never had the opportunity to establish attachments to a mother figure in the early stage of their lives. The attachment, in Bowlbys view, is an emotional bond established mingled with two people and this attachment is vital in the building of healthy relationships (Makulincer, Shaver & Berant, 2013). He argued that the bonding process starts at birth and runs through to later stages in life. Below six months, the babe is attached to the primary caregiver. Between six to eighteen months, the separation of the child from the attachment figure upsets the child causing frequent cries. Another attach to behavior at this stage is the fear of strangers. plot of ground infants develop a primary attachment to a single caregiver, researchers to a fault argue that other significant attachments withal develop. Such attachments i nclude those with siblings, fathers, and other close figures who act with the child. Mary Ainsworth, an American scholar to study the area of attachment describes the attachments as alternative attachments (Marga, 2011). She further describes secondary attachments as important bonds in the life-span development of an individual. These attachments are vital since the child has to live in world beyond the mother/primary caregiver. Secondary attachments help in the transformation of the child from the comfortable symbiotic relationship that he/she initially forms with the primary caregiver to include others in the society (Makulincer & Shaver, 2012).It is from this development that the child is able to develop age-appropriate in figureence and autonomy in the course of life-span development. babyren imitate their models and the positive interactions with the caregiver promote a sense of identity and attachment. baberen overly develop multiple attachments as witnessed in Ainsworths secondary attachments (Marga, 2011). A father who is fond(p) and affectionate towards the child becomes emotionally involved with the child and establishes attachment. Researchers also keep an eye on that when sons come up understood by their fathers, they develop attachments towards, theirfathers. On the other side, when sons feel misunderstood by their fathers, they did not only feel afraid of them but also did not want to be like the mannish parent in the future. The lesson here is that paternal affection and arrangement are reveal components that help in the promotion of positive relationships and attachments between a male parent and the child.According to Sable (2008), Bowlbys ethological attachment theory is recognise as a lifespan developmental theory. The author further argues that it is pertinent in the understanding of how early affection experiences exert influence on emotional and physical well being of an individual both in childhood and adulthood. The author specifically singles the importance of Bowlbys ethological attachment theory in clinical practice as it helps in understanding knobs distress and the carrying out of psychotherapy. Contemporary research on neurobiology of attachment extends the rear of Bowlbys conception of an attachment behavior system and suggests that its functions are punish in the brains right hemisphere, specifically the right mantle (Sable, 2008). Just like Bowlby asserts that attachment system evolves on the need for vindication from environmental dangers such as predation, the brain is also an evolving organ for the most part influenced by natural selection (Sable, 2008, p. 22) and later shaped by environmental experiences.It is from this realization that knowledge of attachment theories becomes invaluable in psychotherapy. Application of Bowlbys ethological attachment in lifespan development According to Pitman & Scharfe (2010), the principles of attachment theory are distinctively visible in moments of distress or sickness when the individual feels that their survival is under threat. However, there are many another(prenominal) other instances when attachment behaviors are manifest such as childrens first experiences in schools and day care centers. Pitman & Scharfe (2010) observe that during the first day in day care centers, children experience increases in hydrocortisone levels and heart rates. In the course of an individuals developmental lifespan, other incidences include airport separations when couples display attachment behaviors as well as distress irrespective of their attachment security. Knowledge of attachment is useful in psychotherapy.According to Pitman & Scharfe (2010), individuals with high attachment foreboding and avoidance experience greater physical symptoms in comparison with individuals who have low attachment anxiety and avoidance. The researchersalso repute on the existence of an association between attachment anxiety and avoidance on one come i ne a little and imprint on the other across varying age groups. These range from samples of children and adolescents, rising adults, married couples, community samples in transition to parenthood, university samples, as well as clinical samples. The results indicate an association between higher attachment anxiety and avoidance with depression (Sable, 2008). The establishment of attachment with the healers disciplines the efficaciousness of a therapist in giving assistance to a client. Bowlby believes that the development of a new attachment with a therapist enables the therapist to assist the client in revising the story of the clients life into a more than consistent narrative.According to Sable (2010), the role of the therapist is to provide a springboard for change and this is possible through joint exploration of the ugly spirits and the unhappy events that contribute the current emotional problems of the client. In order to win this trust, the therapist ought to become a relatively secure base where the client experiences safety and support. The therapist has to cultivate for this attachment through calming and console interactions although it may take some time before the therapist is accept and felt as emotionally familiar and affectively accustomed to the client. One of the applications of Bowlbys ethological attachment theory by clinicians is in the assessment of the clients attachment style so that the clinician can regulate the therapeutic get down (Sable, 2010).The outcomes of a therapy process reveal that avoidant outpatients show minimal clinical improvements in comparison to the secure and anxious outpatients after individual therapy (Makulincer, Shaver & Berant, 2013). They also report that in a study carried out in a university program training clinic, avoidant attachment had an inverse relationship to psychotherapy outcome. Researchers sum that problems in the working alliance between clients and therapists partially mediate the avoidance-outcome association. In another sample of clients with eating disorders, avoidant-attachment was linked with dropout of group psychotherapy. Another contemporary application of Bowlbys ethological theory is in the diagnosis of the reactive attachment disorder. Follan & Minnis (2009) investigate the cases of the forty-four new thieves described as affectionless psychopaths. Out of the sampled juvenile thieves, 86 percent had undergone through prolonged separationfrom primary caregivers in the early stages of their lives apart from being placed under multiple care placements.Follan & Minnis (2009) find out that in their sample, 60 percent of children with reactive attachment disorder had been separated from their homes either resulting from neglect or other types of maltreatment. According to Bowlby, the experience of separation from primary caregivers was a key etiological calculate contributing towards the development of difficulties in children. These findings lend cred ence to Bowlbys ethological attachment theory in the diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder (RAD). While Bowlbys ethological attachment theory receives worldwide support, it also faces some criticisms. One such criticism is its reliance on biology and evolution as the basis of development as well as the use of discriminating observations in naturalistic situations. Marga (2011) presents contradicting reports of a study involving 162 farm children where there was no relation between infant training on one hand and personality development on the other. As a result, the researcher implores scientists to quit blaming mom as a dismissal to Bowlbys ethological attachment theory. While the criticisms are there, Bowlbys ethological theory receives widespread support and application as it relates to the lifespan development of an individual.ConclusionThe behavioral development of a human being begins at birth and occurrences at the formative years determine the personality development of the individual later in adulthood. Many theories such as the behavioral and psychoanalytic theories explain personality development of the human individual. The quality of the entire human life is the accurate measure of effective lifespan development of the individual. Bowlbys ethological attachment theory argues that human individuals develop attachments to primary caregivers that are affectionate and supportive. As individuals grow, they develop other secondary and multiple attachments with peers in order to get security as they interact with different environments. Bowlbys perspective has received widespread acceptance although it has also been criticized for placing emphasis on biology and evolution. Nevertheless, the theory receives application in psychotherapy.Researchers report that clients are open up to therapists after they develop a feeling of security and attachment with the therapist. There is evidence that psychotherapyoutcomes also depend on the establishment of att achment between the client and the therapist. There is also a link between avoidant-attachment and dropout of group psychotherapy. The theory specifically helps in understanding the distress of clients in various stages in life and this facilitates positive outcomes during physiotherapy. There is further evidence that Bowlbys ethological attachment theory also helps in the diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder. As individuals grow from childhood to adulthood, their attachments change due to changes in the environment, making Bowlbys ethological theory a theory of lifespan development.ReferencesFollan, M., & Minnis, H. (2009). Forty-four juvenile thieves revisited From Bowlby to reactive attachment disorder. Child care, health and development 36(5) 639-645. Makulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R. (2012). big Attachment Orientations and Relationship Processes. journal of Family surmise & Review 4 259-274. Makulincer, M., Shaver, P.R., & Berant, E. (2013). An attachment perspective on the rapeutic processes and outcomes. daybook of Personality 81(6) 606-616. Marga, V. (2011). The Social Nature of the Mothers Tie to Her Child John Bowlbys Theory of Attachment in Post-war America. British Journal for the History of Science 44(3) 401-426. Pitman, R., & Scharfe, E. (2010).Testing the function of attachment hierarchies during emerging adulthood. Personal Relationships 17(2) 201-216. Sable, P. (2008). What is Adult Attachment? Clinical Social Work Journal 36(1) 21-30. van der Horst, F.C.P., & van der Veer, R. (2009). Separation and divergence The untold story of James Robertsons and John Bowlbys theoretical dispute on mother-child separation. Journal of the History of the behavioural Sciences 45(3) 236-252.