Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
542 lines (383 loc) · 27.9 KB

50-years-attachment-theory.md

File metadata and controls

542 lines (383 loc) · 27.9 KB
Raw

Summary of Fifty Years of Attachment Theory: The Donald Winnicott Memorial Lecture

This summary was made with Ollama eBook Summary.

If you appreciate this work, feel free to buy the original using my referral-link

A Secure Base (Routledge Classics)

Contents

FOREWORD

Foreword

  • The speaker is the Chairman of the Winnicott Clinic of Psychotherapy
  • Welcome to the second Donald Winnicott Memorial Lecture
  • Introduce Winnicott and hand over to Brett Kahr for introductions
  • Venue had more applications than capacity, demonstrating interest in topic and speakers
  • The Winnicott Clinic is a small charitable trust focusing on Winnicott's work
  • Two main activities: Senior Research Fellowship and Memorial Lecture series
  • First Memorial Lecture held last year, given by Dr Joyce McDougall on "Donald Winnicott: The Man"
  • Hoping for a long series of published Memorial Lectures

Background on Donald Winnicott

  • Winnicott was a British pediatrician and psychoanalyst (1896-1971)
  • Focused on child development, attachment, and therapeutic relationships
  • Known for his contributions to object relations theory

Winnicott Clinic's Activities

  • Senior Research Fellowship: Awarded to Brett Kahr for definitive biography of Winnicott (2004-2005)
  • Memorial Lecture series: Platform for scholars to discuss Winnicott's work and ideas

Previous Memorial Lecture

  • First Memorial Lecture held a year ago
  • Given by Dr Joyce McDougall on "Donald Winnicott: The Man"
  • Published by Karnac Books

Future Plans

  • Hoping for a long series of published Memorial Lectures
  • Tonight's deliberations to be the second such publication

INTRODUCTION OF SIR RICHARD BOWLBY, BRETT KAHR

Introduction

  • The Winnicott Clinic of Psychotherapy inaugurated the second annual Donald Winnicott Memorial Lecture
  • Organizing committee sought a suitable candidate for the lecture with exacting requirements
  • Desired a speaker:
    • Passionate commitment to infant and child mental health
    • Worked to disseminate psychological knowledge widely
    • Thought outward, not inward
    • Possessed Winnicottian qualities of charm, generosity, graciousness, and warmth
    • Could follow Joyce McDougall's zesty footsteps

Background on Donald Winnicott

  • Psychoanalyst with a focus on infant mental health and child mental health
  • Worked to disseminate psychological knowledge widely
  • Known for his rare qualities of charm, generosity, graciousness, and warmth

Selection Process for the Lecturer

  • Committee trawled through address books and memory banks
  • Sought a speaker who shared Winnicott's commitment to fields of infant and child mental health
  • Looked for someone who communicated effectively and possessed desirable qualities

Conclusion

  • The second annual Donald Winnicott Memorial Lecture required a suitable candidate with exacting requirements, including a passion for infant and child mental health, the ability to disseminate psychological knowledge widely, an outward perspective, and desirable qualities such as charm, generosity, graciousness, and warmth.

Donald Winnicott Memorial Lecture: Sir Richard Bowlby

  • The Winnicott Clinic of Psychotherapy invited Sir Richard Bowlby to deliver the second annual memorial lecture.
  • Sir Richard has no formal background in psychology or psychoanalysis but absorbed essential principles from his father, Dr John Bowlby.
  • He dedicated his professional life to medical illustration and scientific photography, pioneering video technology for data transmission.
  • Since retirement, he educates audiences worldwide about the parent-infant bond, attachment theory, and community projects.
  • Parallels between Sir Richard and Donald Winnicott: both offered unstinting support, brought psychology out of the ghetto, and had a close relationship.
  • Sir Richard's father, Dr John Bowlby, collaborated with Donald Winnicott throughout their careers.
  • Both men trained together at the Institute of PsychoAnalysis in London and published works together.
  • They advocated against evacuating children from parents during World War II and commented on each other's work.
  • Unpublished correspondence between them reveals a warm relationship that endured for many years.
  • Ursula Bowlby, Dr John Bowlby's wife, was impressed by Donald Winnicott's work and recommended it to others.
  • Sir Richard's family history and personal qualities make his invitation to present the memorial lecture particularly significant.

SIR RICHARD BOWLBY

  • Not a psychologist, designed racing cars
  • Lived close to father all his life
  • Realized more about father through Attachment Theory
  • Disappointed by lack of widespread acceptance of Attachment Theory

Background of Attachment Theory

  • Developed by Sir Richard Bowlby's father, John Bowlby
  • Based on research into parent-child attachment relationship
  • Originally called "research into bonding"
  • Motivated by his own experience of losing a surrogate mother figure, Minnie, at age 4

Early Influences and Education

  • Father was a successful surgeon with six children
  • Children had twenty-three hour care from nannies and nursemaids
  • Father grew attached to his nursemaid, Minnie
  • When Minnie left, father felt pain but not traumatized
  • Met John Alford at age 21, who inspired interest in maternal deprivation

Maternal Deprivation Research

  • Studied forty-four juvenile thieves and found seventeen had experienced early separation from mother or mother substitute
  • Identified disrupted childhoods by recording only death, desertion, or divorce in families
  • Confronted intimidating figures throughout his career, including during psychoanalytic training

Maternal Care and Mental Health (1951)

  • Report on psychiatric needs of homeless children after WWII
  • Published as "Child Care and the Growth of Love" in 1952
  • Emphasized need for warm, intimate relationship between infant and mother or permanent mother substitute

Development of Attachment Theory

  • First used term "attachment" in a publication in 1957
  • Clarified use of "permanent mother substitute" as one person who steadily mothers the child
  • Did not clarify use of "continuous," leading to controversy later on
  • Index of "Child Care and the Growth of Love" does not include attachment

Struggles in Gaining Acceptance

  • Not widely accepted despite its research basis and potential benefits for society
  • Some people had emotional difficulties with the concept
  • Wider social issues prevented acceptance
  • Those with secure attachments found it self-explanatory and obvious
  • Preferred to call it "research into bonding" instead of "Attachment Theory" due to negative connotations associated with the term "theory"

John Bowlby and Attachment Theory

  • John Bowlby noticed that children with disrupted childhoods often exhibited persistent issues such as theft and truancy (Video Clip)
  • "Continuous relationship" between a mother and child promotes mental health (Bowlby, 1953)
    • Distinguish between "enduring relationship" and "unbroken contact"
    • Originally addressed complete maternal deprivation or prolonged separation in orphanages
  • Misunderstanding of "prolonged separation"
    • Figes (1998) equated working mothers with prolonged separation, causing confusion
    • Bowlby's pamphlet "Can I Leave my Baby?" (1958) clarified position but damage had already been done

Prolonged Separation and Attachment Theory

  • Mother's absence for some hours a day not the same as prolonged separation
    • Prolonged separation: complete and prolonged separation, six months or more
  • Importance of continuity in caregiving
    • Regular caregiver preferred
    • Child becomes attached to caregiver if relationship is continuous
  • Impact of discontinued relationships
    • Loss of primary attachment figure can be tragic for a child
    • Child may form attachment to new caregiver but instability can cause distress

Bowlby's Personal Experience and "Continuous" Relationships

  • Bowlby's own experience with Minnie, his nanny, influenced his views on continuous relationships
  • He did not define "continuous" in his pamphlet despite its importance to his theory
    • Possible blind spot due to personal experiences

Video Clip of John Bowlby

  • In video clip, Bowlby refers to his mother as grandmother (Freudian slip)

INTERVIEW

John Bowlby's Interview on Attachment Theory and Nannies

Background:

  • John Bowlby, a British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, is known for developing Attachment Theory.
  • Attachment Theory states that people form strong emotional bonds with one primary attachment figure during critical periods of development.

Interview:

Question: Do you think a nanny intervenes in the relationship between a mother and her child?

Answer: Not necessarily, but it depends on the continuity and personal relationship between the nanny and mother. If each has their own role, there is no problem. However, if they compete or if the nanny leaves frequently, it can be traumatic for the child.

Attachment Theory:

  • People show a preference for one primary attachment figure above all others.
  • The primary attachment figure is usually the biological mother but could be anyone who takes on the long-term commitment of raising the child.
  • Multiple attachment figures exist, arranged in a hierarchy with the primary attachment figure at the top.

Importance of Primary Attachment Figure:

  • A child's emotional security and wellbeing are determined by the accessibility and responsiveness of their principal attachment figure.
  • The initial primary attachment figure should be accessible for many years, preferably into adulthood.

Inspiration for Attachment Theory:

  • John Bowlby was inspired by Konrad Lorenz's work on imprinting in birds.
  • Imprinting is the behavior of young animals following the first moving object they see during a critical period.
  • This behavior reminded Bowlby of the instinct to form close relationships that stays with us throughout our lives.

Attachment Theory and Childcare:

  • Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, an anthropologist, used Attachment Theory to arrange day care for her baby.
  • High-quality substitute care can be beneficial if the initial primary attachment figure is not accessible for many years.

The Nature of the Child’s Tie to its Mother

  • In 1951, John Bowlby presented a paper called "The Nature of the Child’s Tie to its Mother" to the British PsychoAnalytic Society (BPAS) outlining Attachment Theory.
  • The reception was hostile, with many psychoanalysts questioning its relevance to their field.
  • This marked a turning point in Bowlby's career as he was challenging established theories of Klein and Freud while proposing an alternative theory.
  • Psychoanalysts, many with personal traumas, may have found this new theory deeply disturbing.
  • Years later, in 1987, Bowlby acknowledged the long journey to develop Attachment Theory:
    • Seeds were sown when he was four years old.
    • He was forty-six when he published "Child Care and the Growth of Love."
    • Completed the Attachment trilogy at seventy-three.

Background

  • Bowlby's guiding principle: "If the theory doesn't fit the data, change the theory, not the data."
  • Took years to develop a theory that incorporated all research data.
  • Started writing the three volumes only after this.

Impact and Reception

  • Bowlby's forthright manner made him a champion for some but a pariah for others.
  • Limited meeting of minds due to opposing viewpoints.

Quotes

  • "I have found it extremely unfashionable to attribute psychopathology to real-life experiences." - John Bowlby, 1987.
  • "In The Female Eunuch I argued that motherhood should not be treated as a substitute career; now I would argue that motherhood should be regarded as a genuine career option." - Germaine Greer, 2002.

John Bowlby's Perspective on Child Rearing

  • Approximately 60% of mothers do an excellent job in raising children, providing a good model for others (Majority of women have a good model to follow)
  • 40% of mothers do not do a good job, leading to mental health issues, disturbances, delinquency, etc.

Principles for Optimum Mental Health for Children Under Three

  • A resourceful parent (usually but not necessarily the biological mother) who stays at home
  • Parent should be happy to stay at home
  • Parent must have adequate emotional, practical, and financial support
  • Both parent and child find satisfaction and enjoyment

John Bowlby's Interaction with Xenia

  • Xenia was a full-time, stay-at-home mother of John Bowlby's grandchildren
  • Only gave her advice once in 1968 when she was under peer pressure to stop providing "comfort on demand" for their two-year-old
  • Advised her to continue as she was and ignore others' opinions

Modern Application

  • Sophie and her husband Matt recently had a baby and bought a house within three miles of John Bowlby's house while raising their child.

Financial and Emotional Obstacles

Two Major Changes in Society

  1. Dramatic increase in wealth and living standards: Compared to the 1940s and 1950s, society enjoys a higher standard of living.
  2. Equal opportunities movement: Opened up new possibilities for education, employment, and social advancement based on factors other than race, gender, age, class, or creed.

Financial Pressures on New Families

  • Raised expectations: People want to provide high standards for their families.
  • Expensive lifestyle: Housing, technology, entertainment, etc., require significant financial resources.
  • Limited choices: Financial pressures force many parents to continue working throughout their child-rearing years.

Emotional Sensitivity of New Parents

  • Personal experiences: Discussions about attachment often focus on personal memories and experiences.
  • Unconscious memories: Memories of childhood are often stored at the unconscious level, making some parents uncomfortable when triggered.

Day Care Controversy

  • NICHD day care study: Findings suggest that the more time spent in day care, the more likely children are to exhibit aggressive and disobedient behavior.
  • Impact on many: Although the findings are not strong, they could have significant social implications for a large number of children.
  • Parental reactions: Many parents who have no choice but to work may find these findings painful and unwelcome.

Comparison with Historical Precedents

  • Sir Richard Bowlby compares the reaction to Belsky's findings to his father's delivery of uncomfortable messages in the past.
  • Belsky acknowledges the comparison and agrees that there might be a connection due to the initials.

Culture and Nuclear Family

  • Glorification of nuclear family independence
  • Denigration of interdependence in extended families
  • Peer pressure for mothers to return to work promptly after maternity break
  • Financial commitments requiring both parents to work

Advantages of Modern Childcare Arrangements

  • Social development through interaction with other infants
  • Improved standard of living with two-income parents
  • Larger vocabulary and readiness for pre-school facilities
  • Working parents less depressed and isolated
  • High-quality day care can compensate for poor family environment

Childcare Professionals and Advantages

  • More experienced in stimulating babies

Problems with Modern Day Care Arrangements

  • Parents less sensitive to baby's cues for attention
  • Only one in ten day care places are high-quality
  • Affordability and availability of high-quality day care
  • Increased aggression in infants as they spend more time apart from parents
  • Negative impact on emotional development when multiple care-workers look after a baby
  • Lasting emotional scars from separating small children from attachment figures

Fifty Years of Attachment Theory

  • In 1987, on his eightieth birthday, Boston Globe quoted father's interview expressing concern about mothers in the U.S. unable to afford proper care for their babies despite being in the richest country in the world.
    • He believed society overlooked the time and emotional investment required for enriching parenting.
    • Warned against repeating past pitfalls with intelligent application of Attachment Theory.
  • Mothers' financial struggles and the importance of emotionally enriching parenting are powerful attachment issues.
    • Discussing these topics is difficult due to:
      • Personal experiences and past attachments.
      • Long-term mental health implications for children.
  • Attachment Theory: scientifically proven evidence concerning the long-term mental health of children.
    • People's own past attachment experiences can hinder understanding.
  • Good enough parenting is a complex issue:
    • How to be a good enough parent?
    • Reflection on our own parents and their parenting.
    • Will our children become good enough parents?
    • Definition of a good enough parent.
  • The irony lies in the fact that people's past attachment experiences can prevent them from fully understanding Attachment Theory.

Children learn from their parents

  • Children learn significantly from being apprenticed to their parents: boys to fathers, girls to mothers (common pattern)
  • Children thrive with adult attention, affection, and company
  • Parental attitudes towards children are crucial for their development
  • Many children unfortunately do not receive adequate parental attention
  • Attachment Theory:
    • Emotional and social development focus
    • Father, John Bowlby's work
    • Polarized opinions: some against, others in favor
    • Misrepresentation and ridicule in popular media
    • Personal memories of painful childhood issues
    • Anxiety about long-term consequences for own children

Issues with the Public Perception of Attachment Theory

  1. Lack of concern from securely attached individuals: Not directly affected by attachment theory
  2. Misrepresentation in media: Polarized opinions, destructive to understanding
  3. Personal childhood issues: Insights may evoke painful memories
  4. Anxiety about long-term consequences: Limited parenting choices and impact on own children

Research Data on Attachment Theory

  • Unassailable research data exists on many aspects of attachment theory
  • Large conferences dedicated to the topic, with significant attendance

Challenges in Communicating Attachment Theory to the Public

  • Ordinary people still struggle to understand emotional and social development of their children
  • Need to find new ways to help the general public benefit from attachment theory knowledge.

INTRODUCTION OF PEARL KING, BRETT KAHR

  • Pearl King shares personal reminiscences of Donald Winnicott and John Bowlby
  • Unique perspective as she worked closely with both and knew them in various contexts
  • Important for students to understand the men behind competing theories
  • Pearl King's background: psychoanalyst, historian of psychoanalysis, founder of The Pearl King Archives Trust
  • Clinical renown, popular teacher, mentor, exceptional scholar
  • Received Sigourney Award for lifetime achievement

Background on Pearl King

  • Practised as a psychoanalyst for over 50 years
  • First non-medical President of the British PsychoAnalytical Society
  • Served as Secretary to the International PsychoAnalytical Association
  • Founder of The Pearl King Archives Trust
  • Co-authored "The Freud–Klein Controversies: 1941–45" with Professor Riccardo Steiner
  • Chinese translation and collected papers in preparation

Background on Donald Winnicott and John Bowlby

  • Tension between the two due to differing views on psychoanalysis
  • Many of Bowlby's colleagues at home did not fully understand his work
  • Winnicott recognized the brilliance of both, encouraged their work

Letter from Donald Winnicott about John Bowlby (1961)

  • Wrote to Pearl King about potential publication of a Bowlby book in the International PsychoAnalytical Library
  • Believed it would be profitable and widely read
  • Doubted if Society would be satisfied with its publication due to perceived abandonment of orthodox psychoanalysis

Pearl King's Encouragement to Winnicott (1962)

  • Wrote a letter to Winnicott in 1962 urging him to write a book for the International PsychoAnalytical Library
  • Winnicott obliged and wrote "The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment: Studies in the Theory of Emotional Development"
  • Pearl King's modern psychoanalytic perspective recognized the brilliance of both Winnicott and Bowlby

Outcome: Publication of Winnicott's "The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment" (1965)

  • One of Winnicott's masterpieces published in the International PsychoAnalytical Library
  • Invitation for Pearl King to share reflections and reminiscences about Winnicott and Bowlby.

PEARL KING

Background:

  • Pearl King shares her experiences of growing up with family in the context of her cousin's criticism of John Bowlby.
  • Cousin was a medical missionary in India and left her children behind while she went abroad.
  • Many missionaries at that time believed God would take care of their children, leaving them behind.
  • Pearl lost her parents when she was young and lived with cousins for four years.
  • When parents returned, she felt lost and sad about losing her "family."
  • Sent to a boarding school for children of CMS missionaries.

Experience in India:

  • Cousin expressed concern about John Bowlby's ideas.
  • Cousin left two children, one with health issues, behind while she went to India.
  • Many missionaries believed God would take care of their children.
  • Pearl lost her parents at a young age and lived with cousins for four years.
  • When parents returned, Pearl felt sad about losing her "family."

Boarding School:

  • Pearl and other children formed "extended families" to cope with the loss of their real families.
  • Boarding school accepted only children of active CMS missionaries.
  • Children shared a common trauma of separation from parents for years.
  • After feeling unwanted, children organized themselves into groups for protection.

Forming Extended Families:

  • Children realized the need for extended and continuing relationships.
  • They created these relationships for themselves to cope with their situation.
  • Pearl has continued to form "groups" throughout her professional activities.

Lesson Drawn:

  • Despite potentially traumatic situations, children have the capability of realizing the need for extended relationships and creating them for themselves.

Donald Winnicott and John Bowlby

  • Both were friends and colleagues in the British PsychoAnalytical Society (BPAS)
  • Worked together to improve society's structure during a period of unrest (1956)
    • John was elected Deputy President, Melanie Klein was Honorary Business Secretary
    • Introduced new procedures and established protective measures for members

1957:

  • John Bowlby spent a year at Palo Alto for research and writing
  • William Gillespie was elected as Deputy President and Chairman of the Board and Council
  • Melanie Klein became Honorary Secretary of the International PsychoAnalytical Association (IPA) with William Gillespie
  • John began challenging psychoanalytic theory to apply it to his work with children
  • Returned to UK in 1958 and continued serving as Deputy President for another three years

Impact of John's return:

  • Began presenting controversial papers at Scientific Meetings, causing anxiety within the Society
  • No written records of discussions exist
  • Members had strong opinions and expected others to follow them

1958:

  • John continued serving as Deputy President for another three years
  • Melanie Klein attended his research discussion groups on the effects of separation on children

John's Legacy:

  • Melanie Klein insisted on reading a paper about his contributions to the Society and Institute during his 80th birthday event (1987)
  • Attempted to make amends for past unkind treatment by some members.

Recollections of Donald Winnicott and John Bowlby

John Bowlby and Pearl King wrote a six-page obituary for Donald Winnicott in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis (1993). They felt it was important for IPA members to be aware of his achievements, as his work was known widely outside the UK.

Getting to Know Winnicott

  • First met Winnicott in 1951 after qualifying, asked him to supervise a child case
  • Learned from him and understood his way of thinking about problems and psychoanalysis
  • Became friends and worked together on the BPAS Council for twelve years

Council Experiences

  • Discussed matters to bring up at council meetings
  • Lived near each other, sometimes shared rides home
  • Winnicott expressed regret that Melanie Klein never acknowledged learning from him

Cooperation Among Colleagues

  • Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Winnicott, and Bowlby were giants in their field
  • Seemed to be at odds or indifferent to each other's work
  • Winnicott had difficulty gaining access to teach students due to party line concerns

Encouraging Independent Thinking

  • Encouraged colleagues to think for themselves and not just follow the party line
  • Believed in seeing the whole context of patients, including external settings and relationships

Winnicott's Presidency and Personal Life

  • Elected President of the Society in 1956 and held office until 1959
  • Deeply concerned about raising funds for a new child clinic
  • Understood importance of parties and organized memorable events, such as Melanie Klein's birthday party
  • Successfully campaigned for a Freud statue outside Swiss Cottage Library

Working Together on the Finnish Psychoanalytical Society

  • Appointed Chairman of the Sponsoring Committee and Honorary Secretary to the Committee
  • Set up interim training arrangements for Finnish candidates
  • Winnicott presented a case that had not gone well to teach students about making mistakes and learning from them
  • Learned the importance of leaving space for individuals to think for themselves and discover their unique way of working creatively.

QUESTIONS TO SIR RICHARD BOWLBY

Reason for Wider Recognition:

  • Cultural phenomenon: Americans are more oriented towards psychoanalytic theories and quicker to accept new ideas.
  • Resonance with American society's experiences and backgrounds.
  • High regard for Mary Ainsworth, a co-founder of Attachment Theory, in America.

Split Families:

  • Growing number of families experiencing disintegration due to one parent leaving.
  • Children often bear the brunt of family disintegration and suffer greatly from attachment splits.
  • Difficult area with limited information on long-term effects.
  • Adults tend to avoid thinking about the child's experience and focus on their own defense mechanisms.

Effects of Family Disintegration:

  • Children may cope poorly, leading to potential negative long-term consequences.
  • Lack of primary attachment figure can impact children's development and education.
  • Current fashion in education with frequent testing from an early age could have detrimental effects on children.

Scandinavian Day Care System:

  • Young children attend school but do not engage in traditional "schoolwork."
  • Teachers facilitate acquisition of interpersonal skills, cooperation, and problem-solving abilities.
  • Learning social cohesion at a young age is valuable for future development.