Attachment Behavior, Social Relationships, and Development Theory

This essay examines the crucial role of attachment behavior in shaping social relationships during childhood, drawing upon the theories of Erik Erikson, John Bowlby, and Mary Ainsworth. It discusses how early social relationships, particularly with primary caregivers, influence an individual's emotional and social development, impacting their ability to form healthy relationships later in life. The essay highlights Ainsworth's experiment, demonstrating how secure attachment leads to confidence and calmness in children, while insecure attachment results in distress during separation. Furthermore, it integrates Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, emphasizing the interdependence between social relationships and personality development. Ultimately, the essay concludes that attachment significantly shapes social interactions and overall well-being within society.

Running head: ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Attachment Behavior and Social Relationships
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Childhood is one of the most crucial time period in an individual’s life. It is during this
time period that a person starts to understand the different occurring in the environment
(Valentino et al., 2011). Furthermore, the individuals starts to form important social
relationships. This essay tries to understand the different types of social relationships that are
formed during the period of childhood. Furthermore, the impact of such social relationships on
the life span of the individual has been discussed. In this respect, the view points of the Erik
Erikson, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth have been looked in to.
Social relationships are important for an individual as it allows the person to live a
peaceful and harmonious life within the constraints of society (Peer, 2006). The values and
traditions of a society needs to be adhered to and for this purpose, there is a need to live together.
The theory of attachment was first used by John Bowlby who opined that when a person in his or
her childhood days, there is a need on the part of the individual to establish a strong social
relationship with one primary care giver (Durlak et al., 2011). This defines the emotional
attachment of the person and his or her physical strength.
Another individual who talked about attachment theory was that of Mary Ainsworth. She
was of the idea that an absentee care giver aided in the formulation of the behavior of the
individual (Amichai-Hamburger & Hayat, 2011). This helps in the generation of the instincts
among the young children. Ainsworth conducted an experiment where she tried to understand the
relationship shared by a toddler with that of the parents and the care givers. In that experiment
she observed that those who enjoyed a strong attachment with the care givers would be relatively
calm when they would be separated. They had the faith that their care givers would return in a
short while. On the other hand, those children who had a relatively weaker bond with the care
givers, would be miserable when they would be separated from them.

2ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Erik Erikson, a well renowned psychologist, examined the theory of development. He
based it on the theory provided by Sigmund Freud whereby he discussed the psycho-social
development experienced by an individual. According to him, there are eight different stages of
development which are experienced by a person. These stages aided in the development of the
personality and character of the concerned person in question (Valentino et al., 2011). Erikson
was also of the opinion that such stages of development was also dependent upon the social
relationships that are enjoyed by the individual.
In conclusion it can be observed that the different psychologists were of the idea that the
factor of attachment plays an influential role on the development of the social relationships that
are enjoyed by the people of the society. Such social relationships are considered to be
significant as it allows the individual to live in the society in a decent and peaceful manner.

3ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
References:
Amichai-Hamburger, Y., & Hayat, Z. (2011). The impact of the Internet on the social lives of
users: A representative sample from 13 countries. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(1),
585-589.
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The
impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐
based universal interventions. Child development, 82(1), 405-432.
Peer, S. C. I. (2006). Peer relationships, child development, and adjustment: A developmental
psychopathology perspective. Developmental psychopathology, Theory and method, 1,
419.
Valentino, K., Cicchetti, D., Toth, S. L., & Rogosch, F. A. (2011). Mother–child play and
maltreatment: A longitudinal analysis of emerging social behavior from infancy to
toddlerhood. Developmental Psychology, 47(5), 1280.