Attachment Theory;
● Attachment theory indicates that all humans need to form close bonds of affection, and
that a connected, reciprocal relationship early in life is necessary for normal human
development.
● Attachment is vital. It builds the foundation for our sense of basic trust and quite possibly
for our adult relationships, our motivation to achieve and our willingness to be bold
Harry Harlow;
● Harry Harlow studied rhesus monkeys to see what would happen if they were separated
from their mothers at an early age
● He provided the young monkeys with one wire frame shaped like a mother monkey
which held a bottle and one that was covered with cloth
● He found that young monkeys would feed from the bottle when hungry, but cuddled up
to the fabric one for comfort, or clung to the cloth mother when frightened
○ Monkeys who didn’t have the cloth mother failed to grow, even though food was
available
● This study showed the importance of touch and contact for the survival of infants
Crash Course; Harry Harlow
● It turns out that contact and touch are vital to attachment, learning, emotional well-being,
and psychological development.
● As the brain and mind develop in infants so too do they’re emotions and social behavior.
● Caregivers can greatly influence this development, and most psychologists will tell you
that how a child is raised early on can have a huge effect on how they view the world,
other people and themselves, not to mention how they react to stressful situations or sort
out moral dilemmas.
● Monkeys, like humans, need to be loved. And loving touch and care are tremendously
important, but familiarity is also key to attachment.
● Babies learn a lot through touch. It’s how they feel security and trust.
○ You can imagine how all those poor macaques, who were separated not just from their mothers, but everyone,
grew up to have some social issues as adults. That is maybe putting it too mildly.
○ Those monkeys showed many signs of being really disturbed, from trouble eating, to rocking back and forth in a
trance, to even engaging in self-mutilation.
○ Most of the macaques used in this study never recovered, and those who were forced into pregnancy didn't
know how to care for their own offspring.
Separation and Distress;
● Behaviour and signs of distress children may exhibit when separated from it’s caregiver:
○ Crying
○ Anger
○ Bad behaviour
○ Screaming
○ disinterested
○ Refuse to engage
○ Loss of trust
○ Withdrawn
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