john bowlby

[ilovemarkb]

Does john bowlbys attachment theory only relate to mother and child??? Or can it be..........i.e A grandmother and her grandson (shes unable to pick him nursery / school) ???????

[jno]

don't think so

"Although Bowlby did not rule out the possibility of other attachment figures for a child, he did believe that there should be a primary bond which was much more important than any other (usually the mother)."

http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html

[jno]

sorry, the "don't think so" was to your first question.

[SJJ]

John Bowlby's theory of attachment argues that a child's emotional bond to their familial caregiver was a biological response that ensured survival.
The quality of attachment has implications for the child's capacity to form trusting relationships.

[ilovemarkb]

thankyou for replies xx

[sophie_1003]

I think since Bowlby it has been more generally accepted that children form multiple attachments which may be just as strong as the attachment between mother and child. Especially if the mother isn't the primary caregiver. What's this in aid of by the way? If you want to learn a bit more about attachment theory have you looked at the work of Mary Ainsworth?