John Bowlby

• Edward John Mostyn Bowlby• British psychologist, psychiatrist and

psychoanalyst.• Born on February 27, 1907 in

London• He married Ursula Longstaff on April

1938 and had four children.• Died on Sept. 2, 1990 at the age of

83 on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.• Coined the term Attachment• Key idea is Attachment Theory

Attachment theory in psychology originates with the seminal work of

John Bowlby (1958).  In the 1930’s John Bowlby worked as a

psychiatrist in a Child Guidance Clinic in London, where he treated

many emotionally disturbed children.  This experience led Bowlby to

consider the importance of the child’s relationship with their mother

in terms of their social, emotional and cognitive development. 

Specifically, it shaped his belief about the link between early infant

separations with the mother and later maladjustment, and led

Bowlby to formulate his attachment theory.

What is Attachment?

• Attachment can be defined as a unique emotional bond between caregiver and a child that involves an exchange of comfort, care and pleasure. The roots of attachment began with Freud's theories about love, however John Bowlby's research usually credits him as the, “father of attachment”.

Bowlby described it as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” Bowlby believed that

mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. He

suggested that children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form

attachments with others because this will help them to survive.

Bowlby believed that attachment behaviors are instinctive and will be activated by any conditions that seem to be threaten the

achievement of proximity, such as separation, insecurity and fear. He also postulated that the

fear of stranger represents an important survival mechanism, built in by nature. Babies

are born with the tendency to display certain innate behaviors called social releasers which

help ensure proximity and contact with the mother or attachment figure.

Main Points of Bowlby’s Theory1. A child has an innate need to attach to one main

attachment figure.

2. A child should receive the continuous care of this single most important attachment figure for approximately the first two years of life.

3. The long term consequences of maternal deprivation might include the following.

• Delinquency• Reduced intelligence• Increased aggression• Depression• Affectionless psychopathy

4. Bowlby believed that short term separation from an attachment figure leads to distress.

They found 3 progressive stages for distress:

A. Protest – The child cries, screams and protests angrily when the parent leaves. They will try to cling to the parent to stop them leaving.

B. Despair – The child’s protesting begins to stop and they appear to be calmer although still upset. The child refuses others’ attempts for comfort and often seems withdrawn and uninterested in anything.

C. Detachment – If separation continues the child will start to engage with other people again. They will reject the caregiver on their return and show strong signs of anger.

5. The child’s attachment relationship with their primary caregiver leads to the development of an internal working model.

There are 3 main features of the internal working model.1. A model of others as being trustworthy2. A model of self as valuable 3. A model of the self as effective interacting

with others.

Characteristics of Attachment

Proximity Maintenance

The desire to be near the people we are attached to.

Safe Haven

Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat.

Secure Base

The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment.

Separation Distress or Anxiety

Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment.