Reconciling attachment theory and AP.

[KellyB]

Is there a connection between the application and the theory?
I know I was drawn to AP through the Mary Ainsworth (?) studies on attachment.
And it just "seems" right for us.
But is there any connection now between attachment parenting and the theory that sparked the movement?

[Lil'M]

I'm pretty sure that attachment theory is related to current attachment parenting books, etc. I'm sure Dr. Sears has read Bowlby, Ainsworth, Harlow, etc. Attachment parenting as a practice, however, is as old as the human race. For me, having read and taught attachment theory as a psychology undergrad and then graduate student really helped me gravitate toward ap practices when I became a mother, although I had never heard the term attachment parenting until my dd#1 was 8 months old!

[Venice Mamacita]

What Lil'M said.

I have a master's degree in Clinical Psychology and am a Marriage & Family Therapist. Attachment Parenting is based in part on the research of Bowlby, et. al., and as a student (pre-DS) Attachment Theory spoke to me on many levels -- I was convinced of its importance in raising children. I, too, didn't actually hear the term "Attachment Parenting" until late in my pregnancy (2 years post-graduation), but it immediately rang a familiar bell. After doing the research and reading everything I could on the subject, including rereading my books & notes from child development classes, I knew it was the right way for us to raise our son. AP reenforces my own gut instinct as a mother.

Just my $.02.

[AllyRae]

LOL....this was my capstone project for my master's! And there is DEFINATELY a connection.... Bowlby said that crying, smiling, rooting, etc. are all attachment behaviors--ignoring these cues can cause consequences. He basically said infants do these things by instinct in order to maintain a close proximity with their caregivers. Ainsworth and Bowlby also found that those babies whose cues were ignored basically went into "mourning", became withdrawn, and stopped attempting to get needs met. They basically just sat there.

LOL....I could go on, but I just wrote a 35 page paper for my capstone on this very subject!