A 10 page research paper that offers an examination of attachment theory, which describes the collaboration of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, which has proven to be one of the most influential and successful psychological theories of the last half century. This discussion, which particularly focuses on the contributions of Ainsworth to attachment theory, includes description of the theory's development and background; the tenets of the theory; and examples of its practical application to research. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_khainsat.rtf
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focuses on the contributions of Ainsworth to attachment theory, includes description of the theorys development and background; the tenets of the theory; and an example of its practical application to
research, which is provided by summarizing a study conducted by Hardy (2007). Introduction Attachment theory, which was developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, is "one of the most
successful psychological theories of the past half century" as it has provided the theoretical foundation for literally "thousands of published studies and scores of books" (Shaver and Mikulincer, 2009, p.
17). The reasons for the success of this theory are multiple. First of all, it draws upon a variety of fields of knowledge, including primate ethology, which causes experts to
remark that "No other theory is so deeply and broadly grounded in earlier conceptualizations of the social aspects of the human and nonhuman primate mind" (Shaver and Mikulincer, 2009, p.
17). Secondly, Bowlby expounded on his theoretical perspective in a manner that is both clear and systematic; and, third, his work benefitted greatly from his close collaboration with Ainsworth, as
Bowlbys expertise lay with being a "clinician and a clinical theorist" rather than with research, and Ainsworth was particularly talented in this area (Shaver and Mikulincer, 2009, p. 17). The
following discussion of attachment theory, which particularly focuses on the contributions of Ainsworth, offers an overview of its history and development and then discusses the tenets of this theoretical
perspective, which indicates its utility in aiding researchers in understanding the intricacies of child development and the importance of the bonds between parent/caregiver and child. Development and Background For
Attachment Theory In developing the tenets of attachment theory, Bowlby drew upon "ethology, cybernetics, information processing, developmental psychology and psychoanalysis" in a manner that served to revolutionize how social scientists