John Bowlby's Attachment Stages vs. Schaffer's Attachment Stages

Attribute	John Bowlby's Attachment Stages	Schaffer's Attachment Stages
Number of stages	4	4
Age range	0-2 years	0-2 years
Primary focus	Parent-child relationship	Child's response to separation and reunion
Key figures	John Bowlby	Mary Ainsworth
Attachment behaviors	Proximity seeking, contact maintaining, separation distress, and safe haven	Exploration, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, and reunion behavior

Introduction

Attachment theory is a psychological framework that focuses on the importance of early relationships between infants and their caregivers. Two prominent researchers in the field of attachment theory are John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Bowlby proposed a theory of attachment that included four stages of attachment development, while Ainsworth, along with her colleague John Bowlby, developed a model of attachment that included four stages of attachment development. In this article, we will compare and contrast the attributes of John Bowlby's Attachment Stages and Schaffer's Attachment Stages.

John Bowlby's Attachment Stages

John Bowlby's Attachment Stages consist of four stages that describe the development of attachment between infants and their caregivers. The first stage is the pre-attachment stage, which occurs from birth to around six weeks of age. During this stage, infants are not yet attached to a specific caregiver but are forming a preference for familiar faces and voices. The second stage is the attachment-in-the-making stage, which occurs from six weeks to six to eight months of age. During this stage, infants begin to show a preference for a specific caregiver and may exhibit distress when separated from them.

The third stage is the clear-cut attachment stage, which occurs from around six to eight months to 18 months to two years of age. During this stage, infants actively seek out their primary caregiver for comfort and security and may exhibit separation anxiety when apart from them. The final stage is the formation of a reciprocal relationship, which occurs from around 18 months to two years and beyond. During this stage, infants develop a more complex understanding of their relationship with their caregiver and may begin to engage in reciprocal interactions with them.

Schaffer's Attachment Stages

Schaffer's Attachment Stages, developed by Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby, also consist of four stages that describe the development of attachment between infants and their caregivers. The first stage is the pre-attachment stage, which is similar to Bowlby's pre-attachment stage and occurs from birth to around six weeks of age. During this stage, infants are forming a preference for familiar faces and voices but are not yet attached to a specific caregiver.

The second stage is the indiscriminate attachment stage, which occurs from around six weeks to six to seven months of age. During this stage, infants begin to show a preference for human interaction in general and may be comforted by any caregiver. The third stage is the discriminate attachment stage, which occurs from around seven to 11 months of age. During this stage, infants begin to show a clear preference for a specific caregiver and may exhibit distress when separated from them.

The final stage is the multiple attachment stage, which occurs from around 11 months and beyond. During this stage, infants form attachments to multiple caregivers and may exhibit distress when separated from any of them. This stage reflects the idea that infants can form attachments to more than one caregiver and that these attachments are important for their emotional development.

Comparison of Attributes

• Both Bowlby's and Schaffer's Attachment Stages include a pre-attachment stage that describes the early formation of attachment between infants and their caregivers.
• Both theories also include a stage that describes the development of a specific attachment to a primary caregiver, with Bowlby calling it the clear-cut attachment stage and Schaffer calling it the discriminate attachment stage.
• However, Schaffer's model includes an additional stage, the indiscriminate attachment stage, which describes a period of time when infants are comforted by any caregiver, not just their primary one.
• Another key difference between the two models is that Schaffer's model includes a stage called the multiple attachment stage, which describes the formation of attachments to multiple caregivers, while Bowlby's model does not explicitly address this concept.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both John Bowlby's Attachment Stages and Schaffer's Attachment Stages provide valuable insights into the development of attachment between infants and their caregivers. While both models include similar stages, such as the pre-attachment stage and the formation of a specific attachment to a primary caregiver, they also have key differences, such as the inclusion of the indiscriminate attachment stage in Schaffer's model and the multiple attachment stage in both models. By understanding the attributes of each model, researchers and practitioners can gain a more comprehensive understanding of attachment development and its impact on emotional development in infants.