The studies revealed that the monkeys chose to feed from the uncomfortable wire support first then went on to cling to the comfortable and warm cloth covered support, this revealed that contact comfort was more important than just being fed. These monkeys went onto becoming severely debilitated in their social relationships and also made incapable parents. Bowlby also believed that another important aspect in the development of child rearing is the importance of timing. There is a critical period of bonding between mother and baby which must take place at 6-12 hours after the birth; the contact must take place within that time otherwise attachment risks failure. This belief comes from the ethologists influence of imprinting with young animals primarily goslings.
Lorenz (1935) revealed strong bonds with non-humans with first moving objects that they encounter; which was not always with the mother. In precocial species the mobile young animal needs to quickly identify its caregiver and remain close to them for survival. This is known as imprinting. As this happens before any feeding has taken place the study on Rhesus monkeys does not apply in the same way. Firstly Lorenz used goslings which are called precocial; meaning that they quickly develop to move around, and have well developed sense organs. Human babies take much longer to become that independent, so although they need to bond with a caregiver human babies do not need to do so quite so quickly. As human babies are very helpless at birth they are genetically programmed to behave towards their mothers in certain ways. Also the mother reciprocates this response to the baby. Bowlby believed that there was a critical period of synchrony which happened between mother and baby which produced the attachment. If there was any delay after just twelve months to two to three years then attachment would fail. Depending on the attachment to its mother this would reveal how far away from the mother the child would move and how much fear if any it would show towards strangers. Bowlby believed that infants have an inborn tendency to attach to just one adult female which is known as monotropy.
This study has been argued by Rutter (1979) he believes that bonding doesn’t necessarily need to be this quick and that bonding needs to build up over a longer period of time, usually months not hours. His theory recognizes that babies do not automatically bond that easily as it does for the parents. Although there is a maternal instinct at play this contradicts the fact that it is a slow and gradual progression between mother and baby. Bowlby’s theory of a critical stage of attachment doesn’t have many followers; and many believe this isn’t just a biological phenomenon. Other important issues have a far greater influence such as meanings of the event, expectations of the emotions and mother/child relationship. Human babies in a study by {Schaffer & Emerson} showed in their studies of attachment that they are capable of making multiple attachments. Bowlby believed also that this was true but that the mother/baby attachment was unique. In this particular study sixty infants were followed up at four weekly intervals, and then again eighteen months later. There were seven everyday situations where the child was separated from their mothers such as being left in a room with a babysitter, or being put to bed at night. They measured attachment by the amount of protest the baby made when separated from its main caregiver. This study revealed that the infants became attached to people who did not carry out the caretaking tasks. In a lot of instances this was the father with seventy five per cent at eighteen months making as much fuss when this attachment left the room as the mother. ‘Fathers play a different role in as much that they develop a more playmate relationship’. {Clarke-Stewart}
This study goes some way to prove that fathers can be an attachment figure for young infants, and that babies seek other stimulation besides warmth and food. They are capable of displaying many attachment behaviours towards different members of their families other than their mothers which does not apply to Bowlby’s monotropy theory. Mary Ainsworth et al {1978} developed Bowlby’s work with attachment. An American social developmentist, Ainsworth measured attachment through carefully controlled labatory procedures using the ‘Strange situation’ study. The procedures revealed individual differences in attachment when observed systematically. There were three identifiable types. Type A anxious/avoidant type B securely attached and type C anxious/ambivalent. These causes in attachment according to Ainsworth rely on quality of the attachment and that insensitive and unresponsive mothering during the first year of life contributes to the negative differences in attachment.
Although Ainsworth studies reveal different attachment types her experiments are not conclusive. There could be other underlying factors to take into account. Some children’s personality types could render them more sensitive than others to the strange situation; also major changes to the Childs life circumstances can have an affect through no-ones fault. Different cultures have varying attitudes to child rearing the ‘strange situation’ may not be an appropriate way of comparing attachment patterns in different cultures, as infants from different cultures would experience the procedure differently this would reflect a different upbringing not security to attachment.
Principles of developmental psychology. George Butterworth & Margaret Harris.
Introduction to Social psychology. 2nd edition. Edited by Hewstone, Stroebe and Stephenson.
Psychology. The Science of Mind & Behaviour. 4th edition. Richard Gross.
