John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory as an Alternative to Psychoanalytic Concepts of the Early Social-Emotional Development of a Child

In modern pedagogy, attachment is one of the key conceptsthat describes a child's attitude towards an adult. Thephenomenon of attachment is a deep emotional bond thatarises between a child and an adult as a result ofcommunication and close interaction. Attachment is anindividually directed stable emotional attitude, the basis ofwhich is the experience of an affectively saturated relationshipof a child with a close adult (usually a mother or a person whoreplaces her). As a result of interaction with parents, the childforms cognitive ideas about himself and others, an internalworking model, patterns of interaction. It is shown that theprimary working model, which is formed on the basis of primaryattachment, is the basis of the personality development.The article analyzes in detail the methodological aspects ofJ. Bowlby's theory of attachment, its relationship withpsychoanalysis, ethology, systems theory and cybernetics.Special emphasis is placed on the psychoanalytic origins ofpsychoanalytic theory.The staged sequence of attachment formation in J. Bowlby'sconcept is explained: 1) indecipherable reaction to people;2) focusing attention on familiar people; 3) intense attachmentand active search for closeness; 4) partnership behavior. Signsby which attachment disorders can be determined areidentified. The significance of maternal deprivation and itsnegative impact on the child's early social-emotionaldevelopment is revealed. The staged sequence of the child'sexperience of grief, which is a consequence of separation fromthe mother (or a person who replaces her), is presented.The article reveals the main reasons for the violation ofattachment formation in orphans and children deprived ofparental care: 1) deprivation (sensory, cognitive, emotional,social); 2) the experience of being in an antisocial(disadvantaged) family; 3) experienced violence; 4) neglectingthe needs of the child; 5) separation. The importance ofJ. Bowlby's attachment theory for social-behavioral sciencesand pedagogy is shown.