This essay will compare and contrast the work of psychologists Harry Harlow and Mary Ainsworth. To compare and contrast is to highlight the similarities and differences between Harlow's and Ainsworth's work on understanding attachment, to which they both contributed greatly. Attachment refers to the bond of mutual affection that develops between a mother and any other caregiver (Custance 2010). This is a bond in which the infant views the caregiver as a protective and secure figure. The inability to form any type of attachment during the early years of childhood is thought to result in problems with social and emotional development that can persist into adulthood (Custance 2010). Attachment theory was formulated by psychoanalyst John Bowlby with the theory of “closet love” (affection given solely to obtain a reward) (Custance 2010). There are different theories about why and how infants form attachments, but this essay will focus on Harlow's and Ainsworth's theories. Harry Harlow's work on attachment was carried out on two groups of rhesus monkeys. The monkeys were separated from their mothers and then given the choice of two surrogate mothers, one made of wire, the other made of terry cloth (or terry cloth) (Custance 2010). In one group, the wire mother provided food in the form of a bottle containing milk and the terry cloth mother provided no food. In the other group, the wire mother did not provide food and the terry cloth mother did. The young monkeys clung to the soft terry cloth mother whether she provided them with food or not, and they chose the wire surrogate only when she provided them with food. Monkeys went to terrycloth mother for comfort when scared or anxious no...... middle of paper ...... a baby will form attachments for more than just the need for food and the fact that he craves care, comfort and security. These theories of early attachment prove that an infant needs a loving and protective relationship with a parent or primary caregiver and that this relationship will continue to develop during childhood and could potentially impact later in life. life. Works Cited Bretherton, I. (1992) “The Origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth [Online] UK: Available: http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/attachment/online/ inge_origins.pdf Accessed: February 10, 2011Custance, D. (2010) “Determined to love? » in Brace, N. and Byford, J. (eds.) Discovering Psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University.Wadey. P. (2011) “Attachment Theory, Mary Ainsworth” [Online] United Kingdom: Available: http://paulwadey.co.uk/AttachmentTheory/ Accessed: February 18, 2011