Human Growth and Development

Key Findings: ●​ Attachment is not just about food—comfort and security are crucial. ●​ Emotional bonds are essential for healthy psychological development. ●​ Early emotional security influences future relationships. Harlow’s research challenged the belief that attachment is based only on nourishment, showing that comfort and emotional security are key to bonding . John Bowlby's Attachment Theory Building on Harlow’s findings, John Bowlby emphasized that early attachment influences emotional and psychological health throughout life. Key Concepts: ●​ Secure attachment leads to healthy social, emotional, and cognitive development. ●​ Insecure attachment can cause relationship difficulties later in life. ●​ Attachment behaviors (crying, clinging) help infants seek proximity and security from caregivers. ●​ The first two years of life are a sensitive period for forming strong emotional bonds. ●​ Separation anxiety occurs when a child is distressed by caregiver absence, showing the importance of emotional security. Bowlby’s work laid the foundation for understanding how early relationships shape future interactions and emotional resilience. Mary Ainsworth's Attachment Theory Mary Ainsworth expanded on Bowlby’s work, showing that attachment exists on a spectrum , not just as secure or insecure. She developed the Stranger Situation experiment to observe different attachment styles between children and their caregivers. The Stranger Situation Study:

1.​ A mother and child enter a room with toys, allowing the child to explore. 2.​ A stranger enters, and the mother leaves, leaving the child with the stranger. 3.​ The mother returns, and the stranger leaves.

This study helped identify different attachment styles, influencing how psychologists understand emotional bonding in early childhood.

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