Why Is Attachment Important
Why is attachment important?
Evolutionary
Morss, (1990) states that: “Attachment behaviour is, in general, taken to have such a strong connection with survival that its universality can only be explained by evolutionary selection.” The belief that attachment is an evolved human trait has its roots in Darwin’s theory of evolution, where “male–female attachment evolved primarily to sustain affiliative connections long enough to complete species-specific parental duties” (Fisher, 1998) and parent-child attachment was “designed to ensure the survival and reproductive success of the invaluable vehicles that transport an individual’s genes into the next generation” (Buss, 2008). Specialists such as Bowlby claim that humans have a predisposition to form attachment bonds to others in order to survive. …show more content…
He observed the baby animals will imprint upon – that is to say, blindly follow and make every effort to stay close to - the first moving thing they see – generally their mothers, though incidents of imprinting upon humans, animals and even tennis balls have been known to occur. Bowlby also studied the efforts of young chimps to cling to their mothers’ chests in attempts to maintain as close a proximity to them at all times, and therefore ensure themselves a better chance at survival. He theorised that human infants also possessed a similar instinct, however since they are less physically developed than most other mammals at birth and therefore less able to maintain proximity to caregivers, they instead tend to act in ways that motivate their caregivers to stay close to them, with signals such as crying, cooing, gurgling, and
Evolutionary
Morss, (1990) states that: “Attachment behaviour is, in general, taken to have such a strong connection with survival that its universality can only be explained by evolutionary selection.” The belief that attachment is an evolved human trait has its roots in Darwin’s theory of evolution, where “male–female attachment evolved primarily to sustain affiliative connections long enough to complete species-specific parental duties” (Fisher, 1998) and parent-child attachment was “designed to ensure the survival and reproductive success of the invaluable vehicles that transport an individual’s genes into the next generation” (Buss, 2008). Specialists such as Bowlby claim that humans have a predisposition to form attachment bonds to others in order to survive. …show more content…
He observed the baby animals will imprint upon – that is to say, blindly follow and make every effort to stay close to - the first moving thing they see – generally their mothers, though incidents of imprinting upon humans, animals and even tennis balls have been known to occur. Bowlby also studied the efforts of young chimps to cling to their mothers’ chests in attempts to maintain as close a proximity to them at all times, and therefore ensure themselves a better chance at survival. He theorised that human infants also possessed a similar instinct, however since they are less physically developed than most other mammals at birth and therefore less able to maintain proximity to caregivers, they instead tend to act in ways that motivate their caregivers to stay close to them, with signals such as crying, cooing, gurgling, and