Attachment Theory Compulsory

Words: 498
Pages: 2

Attachment Theory
Implications for infants with sensory-motor disabilities
Katharine A. Greene
Charter Oak State College

Attachment Theory, originally created by renowned social scientists, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, is primarily interested in the relationships of infants and preschool aged children and their primary caregiver. Very much of the time, the caregiver happens to be the child’s mother. In this paper, I plan to provide the reader with an overview and definition of Attachment Theory as related to Child Development. I then will pose several questions including: Why is Attachment Theory an important area to research, and what do I hope to learn about this topic. After narrowing it down to the most valid and empirically sound data sources, I will explore the issues most relevant to the topic
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Why is it both relevant and important? What implications does it have when used as research method to study subjects, such as those that fall into the category of sensory-motor deprived—blind and deaf infants to name two. These are the questions I will attempt to answer in my research paper. To begin, the “grandfather” of attachment, John Bowlby will be discussed. He played a major role in the development of Attachment Theory and claimed that there are “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.” His research shows that “Bowlby shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood are important with influencing development and behavior later in life. Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/caregiver relationship.” Bowlby came up with four characteristics of Attachment: Proximity Maintenance, Safe Haven, Secure Base, and Separation Distress. A major component of Bowlby’s research had to do with children’s “expectations that their caregivers will be responsive to their needs because, in their experience, their caregivers have been responsive in the