Emotional relationship Essay Example for Free

Emotional relationship EssayIn this essay I willing be looking at two theories of attachment, an intense emotional relationship enduring over time and in which pro longed separation is accompanied by tense and sorrow (Kagan et al 1982). I will also attempt to evaluate the statement from Bowlby 58, where he says that M new(prenominal) love in infancy is as classical for mental health as be vitamins and protein for physical health. The two attachment theories I will be looking at are Bowlbys 1953 Monotrophy Theory and Freuds psychoanalytical Theory. Bowlby initially argued that attachment is an adaptive behaviour due to the human instinct to survive.Infants are born with a predisposition to survive and therefore have to make water an attachment in order to gain food, warmth and protection etc. In order for this interaction to take place, the sister is born with Innate well-disposed Releasers that prompt care-giving from the parent through releasers such as crying and cooing etc. Infants also need to form attachments in order to have a bushel base from which to explore the world around them. This can be seen in securely attached babys, who are happy to explore an unfamiliar room, as long as the person with whom they have their primary bond is present (Strange Situation- Ainsworth and Bell 1970).Bowlby described this primary bond as Monotrophy, meaning turning towards matchless person. He recognised that this bond doesnt always form with the biological mother, just the primary care giver. Adults also have a predisposition to care and be antiphonary to their offspring, as the survival of the infant into adulthood ensures the continuation of their genetic line. Therefore the have an innate response to the infants social releasers. Bowlby suggested that infants have a Critical Period, up to 2 1/2 years, for attachments to form.If attachments were not made by this age, it would not be possible for the child to form any attachment and the child would stan d long-term, permanent emotional damage, particularly in the formation of lasting adult relationships. This is due to the Internal Working Model according to Bowlby and later by Bretherton and amniotic fluid (1985) who said that secure children have developed a positive working model of themselves, based on their feelings of security derived from having a sensitive, emotionally responsive and appurtenant primary care-giver.It is therefore said that avoidant children have a rejecting, unresponsive caregiver, resulting in a negative working model of themselves. He also developed the agnatic Deprivation Hypothesis, where he claimed that infants who were un fitting to develop attachments would grow up having problems with relationships and have a higher chance of behavioural disorders. This hypothesis was supported by other psychologists such as Spitz and Wolf (1946) and Robertson and Robertson (1971). An alternative possible action of attachment is the Psychosexual theory put forwa rd by Freud.He said there are five pegs of development a child goes through Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency and Genital. The stage that deals with attachment is the oral stage, which occurs from birth to about 18 months. Freud thought that during this time the infant is bowel movementn by the Pleasure Principle. This is caused by the development of the Id, the first component of the personality to develop. The Id demands instant gratification and in the oral stage, gratification comes through the mouth.The drive for oral satisfaction is vital at this age as the attention is focused on food and thus, survival. There are three parts to this stage of development the drive for oral gratification that results in an uncomfortable feeling, so the infant cries. He is then fed, and the drive is reduced and the uncomfortable feeling, hunger, is gone. This is experienced as pleasure. Therefore the attachment is made with the person who offers the gratification and pleasure. Although at first gl ance, the two theories are very different, when analysed, similarities can be drawn.They both suggest stages the infant must go through in order to develop into a stable adult. Bowlby says that no infantile attachment terzettos to problems in adult relationships and Freud says that an unsuccessful regeneration through any of the five stages will result in regression in later life, for example a child with an oral fixation will suck his thumb, chew pen tops and in later life smoke. Both of these points are true to a certain degree, as there as been countless studies about children who have had maternal deprivation in early infancy and grown up into maladjusted adults.However it is difficult to be able to pinpoint exactly what is the cause of an adults maladjusted behaviour as there may be numerous reasons, which cannot be reduced to maternal deprivation alone. iodine major difference between these theories is that while Bowlby recognises that the primary bond doesnt have to be wit h the mother, Freuds theory is dependant on the mother or wet nurse. This could lead to implications when trying to apply Freuds theory today, as many infants are not breast-fed at all.Bowlbys theory was very well received in the UK when it was published, as it came just after the second world war, when women were being encouraged to go back to the home and their children, so the men could return to the jobs in the factories etc. His theory gave the government something by which to almost force the women home, as the threat of a maladjusted child, due to your absence, was more than most women wanted to deal with. It was also one of the most important and influential pieces of psychological work of that century.