Attachment

Welcome to the World of Attachment!

Hello there! Today, we are diving into one of the most fascinating topics in Psychology: Attachment. This chapter is all about the emotional bonds we form with others, starting from the moment we are born. Think of attachment as the "emotional glue" that connects a baby to their caregiver.

Why is this important? Because psychologists believe that these first relationships act as a blueprint for every relationship you will have for the rest of your life. Don't worry if some of the theories seem a bit complex at first—we’ll break them down step-by-step with simple examples and memory tricks!

1. Animal Studies of Attachment

To understand humans, psychologists sometimes look at animals. Two key researchers showed us that attachment isn't just about who feeds the baby.

Lorenz: The Goose Father

Konrad Lorenz studied imprinting in goose eggs. He divided them into two groups: one hatched with their mother, and the other hatched in an incubator where the first moving thing they saw was Lorenz himself.

• What happened? The "incubator" goslings followed Lorenz everywhere, even when mixed back with their real mother!
• The Critical Period: Lorenz found there is a specific time window (usually a few hours after hatching) when imprinting must happen. If it doesn't happen then, it never will.

Harlow: The Monkey Experiment

Harry Harlow worked with rhesus monkeys. He gave them two "surrogate" mothers: one made of wire (which provided food) and one made of soft cloth (which provided no food).

• The Result: The monkeys spent almost all their time with the cloth mother. They only went to the wire mother when they were hungry, and immediately ran back to the cloth mother for comfort when scared.
• The Lesson: Attachment is about contact comfort, not just "cupboard love" (food).

Quick Review Box:
Lorenz: Imprinting and the Critical Period.
Harlow: Contact comfort is more important than food.

2. Explanations of Attachment

How do we actually form these bonds? There are two main sides to this debate: Learning Theory and Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory.

Learning Theory (The "Cupboard Love" Explanation)

This theory suggests we learn to love whoever feeds us. It uses two types of conditioning:
1. Classical Conditioning: The baby associates the mother (neutral stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus) which brings pleasure. Eventually, just seeing the mother brings pleasure.
2. Operant Conditioning: Crying leads to a response from the caregiver (like feeding). This "rewards" the baby, so they cry more to get attention. It’s a two-way street!

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory (The Evolutionary Explanation)

John Bowlby disagreed with Learning Theory. He thought attachment was innate (we are born with it) because it helps us survive. Use the mnemonic ASCMI (pronounced 'ask-me') to remember his key points:

• A - Adaptive: Attachment gives us a survival advantage. A baby who stays close to an adult is safe.
• S - Social Releasers: Babies have "cute" features (big eyes, smiling, crying) that "release" caregiving in adults.
• C - Critical Period: Bowlby said humans must form an attachment between 0 and 2.5 years. If they don't, they may struggle forever.
• M - Monotropy: Bowlby believed babies form one special, unique bond (usually with the mother).
• I - Internal Working Model: This is a mental "template" or blueprint for future relationships. If your first bond is loving, you expect future love.

Key Takeaway: Learning theory says it's about food; Bowlby says it's about survival and "blueprints" for the future.

3. Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’

Mary Ainsworth wanted to observe and measure the quality of attachment. She put babies through a series of 8 steps where they were left alone, greeted by a stranger, and reunited with their mother.

The Three Types of Attachment

1. Secure (Type B): The "gold standard." These babies explore happily but use the mother as a secure base. They are upset when she leaves and happy when she returns. (About 66% of UK babies).
2. Insecure-Avoidant (Type A): These babies don't care much about the mother's presence. They don't seek comfort when she returns and aren't bothered by the stranger. (About 22%).
3. Insecure-Resistant (Type C): These babies are very clingy but also angry. They scream when the mother leaves, but might kick or push her away when she comes back. (About 12%).

Did you know? Psychologists use the term "Secure Base" like a home base in a game of tag. The baby runs out to play but keeps coming back to the caregiver to "recharge" their confidence.

4. Cultural Variations in Attachment

Does everyone raise children the same way? Van Ijzendoorn conducted a meta-analysis (looking at many studies from different countries).

• Findings: Secure attachment was the most common in every country.
• Differences: Germany had higher levels of Insecure-Avoidant (they value independence). Japan and Israel had higher levels of Insecure-Resistant (babies are rarely left alone there).

Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't say that German or Japanese parents are "bad" parents! They just have different cultural values that change how babies react in the Strange Situation.

5. Maternal Deprivation and Institutionalisation

What happens when attachment goes wrong? Bowlby and others looked at children who were separated from their mothers or raised in orphanages.

Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation

Bowlby argued that if a child is separated from their mother during the critical period without a substitute, they suffer permanent damage. He studied "44 Juvenile Thieves" and found that many who were "affectionless psychopaths" (people who don't feel guilt) had experienced long separations from their mothers.

Institutionalisation: Romanian Orphan Studies

Rutter studied orphans who lived in terrible conditions in Romania before being adopted in the UK.
The Effects of Institutionalisation:

1. Disinhibited Attachment: Being equally friendly to strangers as to people they know (not normal!).
2. Physical/Mental Delay: Most children were smaller and had lower IQs than average, though many caught up if adopted before 6 months old.

Quick Review Box:
Deprivation: Losing a bond that was already there.
Privation: Never forming a bond in the first place (common in institutions).

6. Influence of Early Attachment on Later Relationships

Remember the Internal Working Model? It’s the idea that your first attachment acts as a "map" for your future.

• Childhood Relationships: Securely attached children tend to have better friendships and are less likely to be bullies or victims of bullying.
• Adult Relationships: Hazan and Shaver used a "Love Quiz" in a newspaper. They found that people who were securely attached as babies had longer, more trusting adult romances. Those who were insecure-avoidant often feared intimacy.

The Final Takeaway: Your first relationship is incredibly important. It helps you decide if the world is a safe place and if you are a person who deserves to be loved!

Don't worry if this seems like a lot of names and terms! Just remember: Animal studies gave us the basics, Bowlby gave us the theory, Ainsworth gave us the measurement, and the Romanian orphans showed us what happens when it all goes missing.