His work, along with the work of psychologist Mary Ainsworth, contributed to the development of attachment theory.
Bowlby believed that children are born with a biologically programmed tendency to seek and remain close to attachment figures.
This provides nurturance and comfort and aids in the childs survival.
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Bowlby’s Early Life
Edward John Mostyn Bowlby was born in London to an upper-middle-class family.
These experiences working with children inspired him to become a childpsychiatrist.
Klein’s Influence
He then studied medicine at University College Hospital and psychiatry at Maudsley Hospital.
He eventually became dissatisfied with Kleins approach.
After becoming a psychoanalyst in 1937, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II.
In 1938, he married a woman named Ursula Longstaff, and together they had four children.
The WHO commissioned Bowlby to write a report on themental healthof homeless children in Europe.
In 1951, the resulting workMaternal Care and Mental Healthwas published.
After the publication of the influential report, Bowlby continued to develop his attachment theory.
He suggested that both mothers and infants had evolved to develop an innate need for proximity.
Lorenz even got newly-hatched geese to imprint onhimand view him as a mother figure.
If it did not happen during this period, he suggested it may be too late.
However, he later expanded the timeline for this critical period up to the age of five.
Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
Bowlby defined attachment as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings."
The formation of the attachment bond offers comfort, security, and nourishment.
It is not food or nourishment that determines attachment.
In Bowlby’s view, this attachment figure was primarily the mother.
Bowlby believed that the maternal bond was most critical for development.
Later research, however, has disputed Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis.
Researchers extended his research to develop clinical treatment techniques and prevention strategies.
Slade A, Holmes J.Attachment and psychotherapy.Curr Opin Psychol.
2019;25:152-156. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.06.008
Schwartz J.Cassandras Daughter: A History of Psychoanalysis.
2002;6(2):139-152. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139
