John Bowlby's theory of attachment explains the deep emotional bond... Show more
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Rebecca Mckillop
19/09/2025
Health & Social Care
Health and social care unit 1
742
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19 Sept 2025
•
What is John Bowlby's Theory? How Parents Bond with Babies
Rebecca Mckillop
@rebeccamckillop_txsf
Sensitive Responsiveness and Attachment Formation
Research by Schaffer and Emerson in 1964 provides valuable insights into the factors affecting parent-child attachment formation. Their findings suggest that babies are most likely to form attachments to caregivers who demonstrate effective responses to their signals, a concept known as sensitive responsiveness.
Definition: Sensitive responsiveness refers to a caregiver's ability to accurately interpret and promptly respond to an infant's cues and needs.
This research challenges the notion that attachment is solely based on who feeds and changes the baby. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of play and communication in forming strong attachments. The adult who engages in these interactive activities is more likely to become the primary attachment figure.
Schaffer and Emerson's work also outlines a sequence of attachment development:
- Up to 3 months: Babies respond indiscriminately to any caregiver.
- 3-7 months: Infants begin to differentiate between their main caregiver and others.
- 7-9 months: Babies seek specific individuals for security, comfort, and protection. They may display stranger anxiety and distress when separated from their main caregiver.
- 9 months and beyond: Infants become more independent and form multiple attachments.
Example: A 8-month-old baby might cry when left with an unfamiliar babysitter, demonstrating stranger anxiety and a strong attachment to their primary caregiver.
This sequence highlights the gradual nature of attachment formation and the increasing complexity of an infant's social world as they develop.
Challenges in Attachment Formation
While attachment is a natural process, various factors can complicate or disrupt its formation. Understanding these challenges is crucial for parents, caregivers, and professionals working with young children.
-
Disability: Some parents may find it harder to connect or attach to a baby with disabilities. Similarly, babies with certain conditions might face difficulties in forming attachments.
-
Prematurity: When a baby is born prematurely and requires incubator care, physical contact may be limited, potentially affecting the early bonding process.
-
Emotional unavailability: Parents struggling with substance abuse issues or difficulties adapting to their new role may be emotionally unavailable, impacting their ability to form secure attachments.
-
Foster care or adoption: Children in these situations may experience inconsistent caregiving, which can affect their ability to form stable attachments.
-
Post-Natal Depression: Mothers experiencing depression after birth may find it challenging to bond with their babies, potentially affecting attachment formation.
-
Separation: Extended periods of separation between parents and their baby, for various reasons, can interfere with the attachment process.
Highlight: Recognizing these potential challenges early on can help in providing appropriate support and interventions to promote healthy attachment formation.
Understanding these factors underscores the importance of support systems for new parents and the need for early intervention when attachment difficulties are identified. By addressing these challenges, we can work towards fostering secure attachments and promoting healthy emotional development in children.
John Bowlby's Theory of Attachment
John Bowlby's groundbreaking work on attachment theory in 1953 revolutionized our understanding of child development. He defined attachment as a deep and enduring emotional bond connecting a child to their primary caregiver, typically the mother. Bowlby's theory emphasizes the critical role this relationship plays in a child's social, emotional, and cognitive development.
According to Bowlby, infants are biologically programmed to form attachments, suggesting the existence of an "attachment gene." This innate drive serves several crucial purposes:
- Ensuring proximity to caregivers for food, protection, and love
- Providing a sense of safety and security
- Triggering "social releases" like crying to increase the likelihood of receiving care
Highlight: Bowlby's theory suggests that separation from the primary caregiver at an early age can lead to separation anxiety, underscoring the importance of consistent care.
However, Bowlby's theory is not without critics. Rutter, for instance, argues that Bowlby oversimplified the concept of attachment. He suggests that maternal deprivation alone may not necessarily result in long-term issues and introduces the concept of privation – the lack of opportunity to form attachments due to insufficient social stimulation – as potentially more damaging.
Vocabulary: Privation refers to the absence of essential experiences necessary for normal development, such as the opportunity to form attachments.
The debate surrounding Bowlby's theory extends to whether attachment is purely a biological process or influenced by external factors such as environment and culture. This ongoing discussion highlights the complexity of human relationships and development.
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4.9/5
App Store
4.8/5
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
What is John Bowlby's Theory? How Parents Bond with Babies
Rebecca Mckillop
@rebeccamckillop_txsf
John Bowlby's theory of attachment explains the deep emotional bond between a child and their primary caregiver, emphasizing its crucial role in development. The impact of sensitive responsiveness on infant attachmentis significant, with caregivers who effectively respond to infants'... Show more
Sensitive Responsiveness and Attachment Formation
Research by Schaffer and Emerson in 1964 provides valuable insights into the factors affecting parent-child attachment formation. Their findings suggest that babies are most likely to form attachments to caregivers who demonstrate effective responses to their signals, a concept known as sensitive responsiveness.
Definition: Sensitive responsiveness refers to a caregiver's ability to accurately interpret and promptly respond to an infant's cues and needs.
This research challenges the notion that attachment is solely based on who feeds and changes the baby. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of play and communication in forming strong attachments. The adult who engages in these interactive activities is more likely to become the primary attachment figure.
Schaffer and Emerson's work also outlines a sequence of attachment development:
- Up to 3 months: Babies respond indiscriminately to any caregiver.
- 3-7 months: Infants begin to differentiate between their main caregiver and others.
- 7-9 months: Babies seek specific individuals for security, comfort, and protection. They may display stranger anxiety and distress when separated from their main caregiver.
- 9 months and beyond: Infants become more independent and form multiple attachments.
Example: A 8-month-old baby might cry when left with an unfamiliar babysitter, demonstrating stranger anxiety and a strong attachment to their primary caregiver.
This sequence highlights the gradual nature of attachment formation and the increasing complexity of an infant's social world as they develop.
Sign up to see the contentIt's free!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Challenges in Attachment Formation
While attachment is a natural process, various factors can complicate or disrupt its formation. Understanding these challenges is crucial for parents, caregivers, and professionals working with young children.
-
Disability: Some parents may find it harder to connect or attach to a baby with disabilities. Similarly, babies with certain conditions might face difficulties in forming attachments.
-
Prematurity: When a baby is born prematurely and requires incubator care, physical contact may be limited, potentially affecting the early bonding process.
-
Emotional unavailability: Parents struggling with substance abuse issues or difficulties adapting to their new role may be emotionally unavailable, impacting their ability to form secure attachments.
-
Foster care or adoption: Children in these situations may experience inconsistent caregiving, which can affect their ability to form stable attachments.
-
Post-Natal Depression: Mothers experiencing depression after birth may find it challenging to bond with their babies, potentially affecting attachment formation.
-
Separation: Extended periods of separation between parents and their baby, for various reasons, can interfere with the attachment process.
Highlight: Recognizing these potential challenges early on can help in providing appropriate support and interventions to promote healthy attachment formation.
Understanding these factors underscores the importance of support systems for new parents and the need for early intervention when attachment difficulties are identified. By addressing these challenges, we can work towards fostering secure attachments and promoting healthy emotional development in children.
Sign up to see the contentIt's free!
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
John Bowlby's Theory of Attachment
John Bowlby's groundbreaking work on attachment theory in 1953 revolutionized our understanding of child development. He defined attachment as a deep and enduring emotional bond connecting a child to their primary caregiver, typically the mother. Bowlby's theory emphasizes the critical role this relationship plays in a child's social, emotional, and cognitive development.
According to Bowlby, infants are biologically programmed to form attachments, suggesting the existence of an "attachment gene." This innate drive serves several crucial purposes:
- Ensuring proximity to caregivers for food, protection, and love
- Providing a sense of safety and security
- Triggering "social releases" like crying to increase the likelihood of receiving care
Highlight: Bowlby's theory suggests that separation from the primary caregiver at an early age can lead to separation anxiety, underscoring the importance of consistent care.
However, Bowlby's theory is not without critics. Rutter, for instance, argues that Bowlby oversimplified the concept of attachment. He suggests that maternal deprivation alone may not necessarily result in long-term issues and introduces the concept of privation – the lack of opportunity to form attachments due to insufficient social stimulation – as potentially more damaging.
Vocabulary: Privation refers to the absence of essential experiences necessary for normal development, such as the opportunity to form attachments.
The debate surrounding Bowlby's theory extends to whether attachment is purely a biological process or influenced by external factors such as environment and culture. This ongoing discussion highlights the complexity of human relationships and development.
We thought you’d never ask...
What is the Knowunity AI companion?
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
Where can I download the Knowunity app?
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Is Knowunity really free of charge?
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
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4.9/5
App Store
4.8/5
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user