John Bowlby (1907-1990)

Early Life
John Bowlby was born on February 26, 1907 in London. He was raised in a family of six children, primarily by a nanny. His father was a Baronet, Sir Anthony Alfred, and was a member of the medical staff to the King. Bowlby had very little interaction with his mother, as was normal for that social class in Britain at the time, and became very attached to his nanny. The nanny left the household when Bowlby was four years old, and as a result, he experienced a sense of deep loss. He was sent to a boarding school at the age of seven, and Bowlby later reflected on this experience as being detrimental to his development. He did not believe that separation from the family was productive to children at such a young age, but did theorize that removal from a dysfunctional home environment could potentially benefit an older child.

Professional Life
Bowlby began his study in psychology at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he excelled academically. He later went on to study medicine at the University College Hospital in London, and also enrolled in the Institute for Psychoanalysis. Upon graduation, he began working at the Maudsley Hospital as a psychoanalyst. Bowlby was a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II and continued in the field of medicine as a Deputy Director of the Tavistock Clinic. He worked briefly with the World Health Organization as a mental health consultant during the 1950’s.

Bowlby focused much of his attention on maladapted children and began to further explore issues relating to these children while at the Child Guidance Clinic in London. The vast number of children who were separated from family members during the war peaked Bowlby’s interest. He developed a special interest in evacuees and orphans and examined the work of Anna Freud, Rene Spitz, and Dorothy Burlingham in particular. In his early 40’s, Bowlby had developed his own theories on attachment and child development from his many years of experience, research, and observation.

Contribution to Psychology
Bowlby closely examined the generational impact of attachment and how it affected behavior. He believed that attachment behaviors were inherent survival mechanisms designed to protect an infant or child from predators. He worked closely with Mary Ainsworth, his student and eventual colleague, to expand and test his theories. Together, Ainsworth and Bowlby believed that there were several different types of attachment styles.

Bowlby’s theories on maternal deprivation were embraced by the World Health Organization, and were directly responsible for radical changes in the care of hospitalized children in Europe. Bowlby stressed the importance of the maternal bond to the child’s psychological well-being, and this led to revised visitation regulations and interventions for homeless and orphan children. Because Bowlby believed that much of the data relating to separation of children was outdated and sparse, he used his own experience with delinquent and orphan children to expound his attachment theory.

Working closely with Mary Ainsworth, Bowlby compiled a trilogy on his attachment theory, which described the core components of the theory. Bowlby theorized that attachment begins in infancy through a bond between the child and the most present, attentive caregiver. The parental interaction forms the basis of the internal working models for the child, which lead their expectations, thoughts, and feelings in subsequent relationships. Bowlby believed that a functional and safe relationship with a parent or caregiver was necessary to the healthy psychological development of the child.