During the 1940s, psychologist John Bowlby firmly believed that early emotional connections between mother and child were an imperative part of human nature. He believed that because newborns are completely helpless, they are genetically programmed to attach themselves to their mothers to survive. He also believed that mothers were genetically programmed to be protective of their young, commonly feeling the need to keep them close to them at all times. These ideas formed the foundation of Bowlby's theory which was the springboard for exploring the deeply rooted importance of the mother-child bond and the associated repercussions if this bond is compromised or broken, which would later become known as mother-child theory. attachment. Bowlby was born in London to a middle-class family, where he was the fourth child of six siblings. He was raised by nannies and attended boarding school from the age of seven, which is why he favored the study of early maternal emotional bonds. Later in life he attended Trinity College where he majored in psychology and also became interested in teaching delinquent children. Even later in his life he graduated from medical school and earned the title of psychoanalyst. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and married in 1938 to a woman called Ursula Lognstaff with whom he had four children. At the end of the war he was director of the Tovistock Clinic, remaining there until his retirement. In 1950 he carried out an important experiment for the World Health Organization on the first emotional bonds between mothers and children. He died when he was eighty-three years old. He famously said, “Attachment behavior is believed to characterize human beings from the cradle to the grave.” Before John...... middle of paper...... use during this time women were encouraged to stay at home to watch their children and avoid working. In the 1970s Thomas Weisner and Ronald Gallimore completed other experiments showing that mothers were the sole caregivers in a very small percentage of the population and that in most families children grew up with other relatives such as aunts, uncles, and even close friends. Schaffer also has evidence showing that children with mothers who are more successful in their careers excel better in life than children with mothers who are burdened by being at home all day. Despite the controversy surrounding Bowlby's work, it formed the basis for much groundbreaking work addressing the question of early emotional attachments. Thanks to John Bowlby's discoveries, parenting conditions have improved in institutions such as orphanages and residential nurseries..