Attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, is a psychological and evolutionary framework explaining how early bonds between infants and caregivers shape development, identifying patterns of secure and insecure attachment that influence relationships throughout life. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Core ClaimInfants need to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver to ensure their survival and to develop healthy social and emotional functioning, and the internal patterns this bond establishes shape relationships throughout life. 1 Connections
Associated With
The Strange Situation is the standard research instrument for testing and operationalizing Bowlby's attachment theory.
Source SimplyPsychology: Mary Ainsworth
Harlow's rhesus monkey experiments supplied the empirical support Bowlby's attachment theory had lacked.
Source Wikipedia: Harry Harlow
Developed By
Source Wikipedia: Attachment Theory
In Branch
Open Questions
Source Wikipedia: Attachment Theory
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Attachment Theory
Wikimedia FoundationAttachment section
Infants need to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver to ensure their survival, and to develop healthy social and emotional functioning.
Developed By: John Bowlby, Lead section
Attachment theory is a psychological and evolutionary framework concerning the relationships between humans, particularly the importance of early bonds between infants and their primary caregivers.
View the Source SimplyPsychology: Mary Ainsworth
Simply PsychologyAssociated With: Ainsworth's Strange Situation, Mary Ainsworth Strange Situation Experiment, biography sectionQuote, Associated With: Ainsworth's Strange Situation, Mary Ainsworth Strange Situation Experiment, biography section
In late 1950, Ainsworth and her husband Leonard moved to London so he could complete his doctorate at University College.
Wikipedia: Harry Harlow
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Harlow's Rhesus Monkey Experiments, Article body, section on the reception and impact of the rhesus monkey researchQuote, Associated With: Harlow's Rhesus Monkey Experiments, Article body, section on the reception and impact of the rhesus monkey research
It was this research that gave strong, empirical support to Bowlby's assertions on the importance of love and mother-child interaction.
Open Questions (1 open question)
Are Ainsworth's Strange Situation attachment classifications culturally universal, or do they reflect Western caregiving norms?
Attachment theory's secure/insecure classifications were developed and normed on a Western, mostly American middle-class sample, and the social milieux and caregiving arrangements the theory assumes vary widely across cultures, so it remains disputed whether the same classifications and their developmental meaning transfer to societies with different childrearing practices.
What would resolve this Attachment measures independently developed and validated within non-Western caregiving contexts, compared against the Strange Situation's own classifications and outcomes.
Wikipedia: Attachment Theory
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