John Bowlby s Theory Of Attachment - 1581 Words

According to Smith et al (2011) the most dramatic developmental changes occur in the prenatal development, infancy and childhood, as new-borns develop into young adulthood capable of becoming a parent themselves. This assignment will discuss the developmental stage of a chosen child scenario and apply to John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. It will also discuss the key safeguarding issues within the child scenario and how they could have been prohibited. Scenario The chosen child scenario for this assignment is Paul (see appendix). Paul is six years of age and is the middle child of three, as well as the only boy. Paul is neglected compared to his siblings who receive all the attention from their parents. His parents treat him poorly,†¦show more content†¦As stated by Santrock (2012) young children’s emotional lives and personalities develop in significant ways because of the continuing influence of family relationships. However, Paul is receiving negative influence from his parent that will later on affect his choices in life. I also believe that all children should be given equal amount of attention and love, however Pail’s parents favour his other two siblings. Furthermore, as an adult nurse student I wanted to research further how Paul’s child development will influence his adulthood. Theory The chosen theory for this child scenario is John Bowlby’s theory of attachment. John Bowlby was a psychoanalyst who believed that mental health and behavioural problems could be linked with early childhood. Bowlby’s (1969) theory of attachment suggests that children come into world biologically ready to form attachments with others, as this will help them survive. According to Bowlby (1980), attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another, a secure attachment being characterised by intimacy, emotional security and physical safety. The attachment theory describes the complexity of long-term relationships between humans, and explains how much the parents relationship with the child influences development. Bowlby (1969) states that an infant needs to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional