Two later works by the author add details and incorporate some later studies but do not change his main thesis. In A Secure Base (1988) he notes (pp. 77 & ff., 178-180) that a poorly reared child is likely to become a less competent parent. This book refers to an important article published in 1985 by M. Rutter. A reprinting of Maternal Care and Mental Health contains an article by Mary Ainsworth (which originally appeared in 1962) that supports and adds details to the Bowlby thesis on the basis of more recent research. Ainsworth holds that it doesn’t seem to hurt the child if care is distributed among a number of caregivers so long as the child relates in a special way to one major maternal figure. Problems arise, however, if there is no principal maternal figure. Bowlby expected that his work would be criticized in certain quarters, and his expectations were met. Among those who dispute his opinions is Jere Brophy, who argues (p.111) that the attachment cycle is not universal and is not necessarily beneficial. He sees no grounds for rejecting institutional care of the infant and young child on the grounds that it lacks that bond. Brophy does not provide convincing empirical evidence in support of his position. Diane Eyer provides a later criticism of the notion of bonding. Her work, I think, provides a needed caution against mother-child bonding theories that rely to a significant extent on animal studies. That her arguments carry weight against Bowlby’s thesis is less clear. Casler (c1974, Chapter 4) in downplaying the need of the child for affection argues that for the first six months the mother-child relationship is not highly personal from the side of the child.397 Bowlby himself was cautious about the nature and importance of the mother-child bond during the child’s first six months of life. Ambert claims that the intense mother child bond is a Western bias, not valid in all cultures. Curiously, she does not include Bowlby among her copious references. One gets the impression that, whatever about details, a large majority of authors believe that the early mother-child bond is important.
Parcel & Dufur, for example, list it
prominently among the factors that produce good or bad outcomes for the child. Queen, Hebenstein & Quadagno (p. 10) state that in all cultures there is a strong tie between mother and child, at least during the child’s early years. Robert Kronemeyer is convinced 397
See also Casler (1961) and (1968).
265