This essay will first explain the different stages associated with the social development of young people in the first years of their life, with examples from the attachment stages theory of Schaffer and Emerson. Next, the essay will evaluate theories of attachment between a child and his or her parents/guardians, evaluating Bowlby's attachment theory and using examples from Freud's "closet love theories." and behavioral and psychoanalytic perspectives in relation to Bowlby. Next, it will look at all the contributing factors that make a difference to individuals during attachment and examine how fear and anxiety play a role when children are separated from their primary caregiver. After which, the essay will respond to Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation and examine the resulting long-term consequences. According to Kagan et al. (1978) attachment is defined as “a specific intense emotional relationship between two people, which lasts over time and in which prolonged separation from the partner is accompanied by stress and grief”. The definition shows that attachment is important in life and is said that our first attachment is very crucial for our development towards other relationships, for example with other family members, friends and romantic relationships. Bowlby (1973) presented that newly born humans are vulnerable and are genetically programmed to behave in a certain way to ensure their survival, and also asserts that mothers inherit a "genetic blueprint" for responding to baby at any time. The child's attachment to its mother will determine how close they are and how the child behaves around strangers, usually giving off social reactions in reaction to being scared, sick or unknown... in the middle paper.... ..r behavior was due to the loss of the mother figure. However, Rutter disproved this hypothesis and found that this was due to deprivation which, without ever developing any attachment, led to children's antisocial behaviors. Suomi and Harlow later discovered that the effects of deprivation could be reversed by referring to Harlow's earlier study on monkeys. This was later proven with Koluchova's study of Czech twins. Their earlier lives had little or no effect on their later lives, during which they performed well academically and showed no signs of psychological abnormality or unusual behavior. REFERENCES: • Doherty, J. and Hughes, M. 2009. Child Development. Harlow, England: Pearson Longman. • Gross, RD 2005. Psychology. London: Hodder Arnold.• Gross, RD, Mcilveen, R. and Coolican, H. 2000. Psychology. London: Hodder & Stoughton.