How do early attachments form between infants and caregivers, and why do they matter for development?
Explain attachment theory and attachment styles, with reference to the work of Bowlby, Ainsworth and Harlow
WACE Year 12 Psychology Unit 4: attachment theory, Bowlby's monotropy and internal working model, Ainsworth's Strange Situation and attachment styles, and Harlow's monkey studies of contact comfort.
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What this dot point is asking
SCSA asks you to define attachment, explain Bowlby's theory, describe Ainsworth's attachment styles and her method, and use Harlow's evidence. The marked skill is correctly classifying an attachment style from described behaviour.
What attachment is
Attachment is an enduring emotional bond between an infant and a primary caregiver that provides the infant with security and a base from which to explore. John Bowlby proposed that attachment is innate and adaptive, having evolved because infants who stayed close to a caregiver were more likely to survive.
Bowlby introduced two key ideas.
- Monotropy: infants form one special attachment, usually to the primary caregiver, which is qualitatively different from other bonds.
- The internal working model: the first attachment becomes a mental template for what relationships are like, shaping the child's later friendships and adult relationships.
He also argued there is a critical or sensitive period in the first years for forming attachments, and that prolonged disruption (maternal deprivation) could harm later development.
Harlow's monkey studies
Harry Harlow tested whether attachment is based on feeding or on comfort. He raised infant rhesus monkeys with two surrogate mothers: a bare wire mother that dispensed milk and a soft cloth mother that gave no food.
The monkeys spent most of their time clinging to the cloth mother and ran to her when frightened, going to the wire mother only to feed. This showed that contact comfort, not food, was the basis of attachment, challenging the earlier view that infants bond simply because a caregiver feeds them.
Ainsworth's Strange Situation and attachment styles
Mary Ainsworth developed the Strange Situation, a structured observation in which an infant is observed through episodes of separation from and reunion with the caregiver, and the arrival of a stranger. From infants' reactions she identified attachment styles.
- Secure attachment: the infant explores using the caregiver as a base, shows some distress at separation, and is comforted and happy on reunion. Linked to sensitive, responsive caregiving.
- Insecure-avoidant attachment: the infant shows little distress at separation and avoids or ignores the caregiver on reunion. Linked to unresponsive or detached caregiving.
- Insecure-resistant (ambivalent) attachment: the infant is very distressed at separation and seeks contact on reunion but also resists comfort, appearing angry. Linked to inconsistent caregiving.
Evaluation
Attachment theory is highly influential, informing childcare, adoption and parenting practice. However, the idea of a single critical period and monotropy has been challenged, since infants often form multiple attachments and bonds can form later than Bowlby claimed. The Strange Situation has also been criticised as culturally biased, because what counts as secure varies across cultures with different child-rearing norms, linking this topic to cross-cultural psychology.
Why this matters
Attachment shapes emotional development, later relationships and resilience, and understanding it improves caregiving and intervention for at-risk children. It connects to Piaget's account of cognitive growth and to Erikson's first psychosocial stage of trust versus mistrust.