Beyond Motherhood: The Evolution of Attachment Figures in Child Development

Question 1 Explain what is meant by ‘attachment figure’ in the work of John Bowlby. Outline how this aspect of attachment theory has been modified in the light reassessment of Bowlby’s work by Michael Rutter.

As per the John Bowlby’s attachment theory, the child needs to attach to one main attachment figure, which is mother figure. The theory did not explore the attachment figures rather the theory mainly focuses on the mother figure, where the child needs to develop string bonding and relationship with the mother. On the other hand, the child should receive continuous care in the first two years, where the mothers play a crucial role in protecting the child and improving their physical and mental health (Bowlby, 2018). As per the attachment theory of John Bowlby, the long consequences of the maternal deprivation may include delinquency, increased aggression, depression, stress reduced intelligence, lack of attention and affectionless psychopath. For students who are seeking psychology dissertation help, understanding these theories and their implications is crucial for comprehensive research and analysis. on the other hand, the ‘attachment figure’ by Michael Rutter is effective to explore the ideas of different attachment figures, which was absent in the attachment theory study by John Bowlby and thus the theory of attachment figure is replaced to identify different attachment figures.

As per the ‘attachment figure’ by Michael Rutter introduced a variety of attachment fugues, which are fathers, siblings, peers, care givers and grandparents, who are playing crucial role in shaping he lifestyle and improving the physical and mental health of the children in the society. In particular, Rutter differentiated the terms deprivation and privation, where Bowlby failed to distinguish these factors and only focused on mother deprivation (Fonagy, 2018). As per the attachment figure theory, the child fails to develop emotional bond, is called privation and on the other hand, deprivation refers to the loss or damage to an attachment. The concept of privation and deprivation is different, where there are some children, who face issues to develop string binding and thus it is considered that there exist privation. On the other hand, deprivation means that, there is loss of attachment figure. Hereby, attachment figures play a crucial role in child development and improving language behavior, physical growth and intellectual development of the children.

Question 2 Suggest how your understanding of attachment theory can assist you in your work with adults to promote secure attachment in young children.

As per the attachment theory, it can be acknowledged that, the children needs safe place for their physical growth and intellectual development, where there is importance of different attachment figures, which are playing crucial role in reshaping the child’s growth. The major attachment figures in the context of child development are mothers, fathers, care givers, peers, grand parents and siblings, who are trying to communicate with the child and provide them safe place to develop their physical and mental health (Zeifman, 2019). Additionally, with proper cooperation and communication among all the attachment figures and the children, it is possible to develop strong relationship and bonding among the children, which is necessary for child development. In the recent years, the care givers play an essential role in developing the children, and they try to provide safe place and secure base, where the children can trust them, and develop strong bonding.

Proximity maintenance can be handled well, where the children try to explore the world with the help of the attachment figures and they try to build strong relationship and bonding, where the children can share their flings and thoughts with the attachment figures including the mother, fathers, grand parents and care givers. In working with the adults, it is necessary to let them understand to give quality time to the children and play with them, so that they can improve emotional bonding with the attachment figures and they can feel secure and happy under the supervision and love of the attachment figures. The parents and the care givers in this regard are playing important role in child development and in this regard, it is necessary to improve open communication and avoid rude behaviour so that they can cooperate with the children and help them to explore the world happily.

Reference List

Bowlby, R., 2018. Fifty years of attachment theory: The Donald Winnicott memorial lecture. London: Routledge.

Fonagy, P., 2018. Attachment theory and psychoanalysis. London: Routledge.

Zeifman, D.M., 2019. Attachment theory grows up: a developmental approach to pair bonds. Current opinion in psychology, 25, pp.139-143.

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