Attachment Theory

Assignment 1
Group Members: Ali Ajlal (bsf2105370)

Younis Rasheed (bsf2104952)
Subject: Social Sciences
Topic: Attachment Theory
Session: BBA 2021-25 Morning Section A
Submitted to: Dr. Rana Tahir
UE Business School Lahore, Multan Campus

Attachment Theory:
Attachment theory focuses on relationships and bonds (particularly long-term) between people,
including those between a parent and child and between romantic partners. It is a psychological
explanation for the emotional bonds and relationships between people. The theory of attachment
was originally developed by John Bowlby (1907 - 1990), a British psychoanalyst who was
attempting to understand the intense distress experienced by infants who had been separated
from their parents. The theory attempts to explain the nature of the affective bonds that people
make with each other. An attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond between people that
persists across time and space. In an adult-child attachment relationship, an adult can respond to
the needs of a child through being sensitive and by attending to the child’s needs. Attachment
behaviors appear to be universal across all cultures. According to Bowlby, a motivational
system, what he called the attachment behavioral system, was gradually "designed" by natural
selection to regulate proximity to an attachment figure. The attachment behavior system is an
important concept in attachment theory because it provides the conceptual linkage between
ethological models of human development and modern theories on emotion regulation and
personality.
Individual Differences in Infant Attachment Patterns:
Although Bowlby believed that the basic dynamics described above captured the normative
dynamics of the attachment behavioral system, he recognized that there are individual
differences in the way children assess the accessibility of the attachment figure and how they
regulate their attachment behavior in response to threats. However, it wasn't until his colleague,
Mary Ainsworth (1913 – 1999), began to systematically study infant-parent separations that a
formal understanding of these individual differences was clear. Ainsworth and her students
developed a technique called the strange situation--a laboratory criterion for studying infant-
parent attachment. In the strange situation, 12-month-old infants and their parents are brought to
the laboratory and, systematically, separated from and reunited with one another. In the strange
situation, most children (i.e., about 60%) behave in the way implied by Bowlby's "normative"
theory. They become upset when the parent leaves the room, but, when he or she returns, they
actively seek the parent and are easily comforted by him or her. Children who exhibit this pattern
of behavior are often called secure. Other children (about 20% or less) are ill-at-ease initially,
and, upon separation, become extremely distressed. Importantly, when reunited with their
parents, these children have a difficult time being soothed, and often exhibit conflicting
behaviors that suggest they want to be comforted, but that they also want to "punish" the parent
for leaving. These children are often called anxious-resistant. The third pattern of attachment that
Ainsworth and her colleagues documented is called avoidant. Avoidant children (about 20%)
don't appear too distressed by the separation, and, upon reunion, actively avoid seeking contact
with their parent, sometimes turning their attention to play objects on the laboratory floor.
Adult Romantic Relationships:

Although Bowlby was primarily focused on understanding the nature of the infant-caregiver
relationship, he believed that attachment characterized human experience from "the cradle to the
grave." According to Hazan and Shaver, the emotional bond that develops between adult
romantic partners is partly a function of the same motivational system--the attachment
behavioral system--that gives rise to the emotional bond between infants and their caregivers.
Hazan and Shaver noted that the relationship between infants and caregivers and the relationship
between adult romantic partners share the following features:
➢ both feel safe when the other is nearby and responsive
➢ both engage in close, intimate, bodily contact
➢ both feel insecure when the other is inaccessible
➢ both share discoveries with one another
➢ both play with one another's facial features and exhibit a mutual fascination and
preoccupation with one another
➢ both engage in "baby talk"
Three Implications of Adult Attachment Theory:
First, if adult romantic relationships are attachment relationships, then we should observe the
same kinds of individual differences in adult relationships that Ainsworth observed in infant-
caregiver relationships.
Second, if adult romantic relationships are attachment relationships, then the way adult
relationships "work" should be similar to the way infant-caregiver relationships work.
Third, whether an adult is secure or insecure in his or her adult relationships may be a partial
reflection of his or her experiences with his or her primary caregivers.
Criticisms and Critiques of the Theory:

Attachment theory has been criticized for a number of aspects. First, the primary area of
investigation has examined only behaviors that occur during momentary separations that are
stressful for an individual. An example of this is Ainsworth’s “strange situation” approach (1967,
1969; Ainsworth & Bell, 1970) in which children are examined regarding how they behave
toward strangers in isolation from their mother. The theory requires a broader understanding of
attachment processes over a range of time periods and a range of stressors.
Another problem with the theory is that basically anything wrong with the child’s behavior is the
mother’s “fault.” The theory does not examine the wide range of attachments that people form
and the impact of those on attitudes and behaviors across a person’s lifetime, such as with father,
siblings, friends, teachers, coaches, spiritual and religious leaders, guidance counselors, bosses
and supervisors, coworkers, and so on.
Another problem is that the theory has tended to examine only overreactive behaviors and not
covert or attitudinal behaviors. The theory should therefore be extended to examine a wide range
of outcomes stemming from a wide range of attachments to a wide range of figures
throughout a person’s life.
Implications of theory on Managers

Attachment theory looks at how the relationships people have when they're young, especially
with their caregivers, can affect how they act and think as adults. These early connections can
shape how individuals see themselves and others, which can influence their attitudes and
behaviors at work.
It's better to understand each employee individually. Find out how much they like to be close to
others, how they want to be praised and given feedback, and how they deal with tough times.
Then, work together to create a work relationship that works for them.
It's important to remember that people's views about relationships are formed early in life and
don't usually change easily. So, instead of trying to change your employees, it's better to create a
work relationship that meets their current needs and expectations. This way, you can help them
perform at their best.

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Assignment 1

Group Members: Ali Ajlal (bsf2105370)

Subject: Social Sciences

Topic: Attachment Theory

Session: BBA 2021-25 Morning Section A

Submitted to: Dr. Rana Tahir

UE Business School Lahore, Multan Campus

Adult Romantic Relationships:

Criticisms and Critiques of the Theory:

Implications of theory on Managers

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