Attachment Theory

Attachment theory is a concept in developmental psychology that concerns the importance of

"attachment" in regards to personal development. Specifically, it makes the claim that the ability
for an individual to form an emotional and physical "attachment" to another person gives a sense
of stability and security necessary to take risks, branch out, and grow and develop as a
personality.
Psychologist John Bowlby childhood development depended heavily upon a child's ability to
form a strong relationship with "at least one primary caregiver". Generally speaking, this is one of
the parents. Strong attachment to a caregiver provides a necessary sense of security and
foundation. Without such a relationship in place, Bowlby found that a great deal of developmental
energy is expended in the search for stability and security.
In general, those without such attachments are fearful and are less willing to seek out and learn
from new experiences. By contrast, a child with a strong attachment to a parent knows that they
have "back-up" so to speak, and thusly tend to be more adventurous and eager to have new
experiences (which are vital to learning and development, obviously).
Mary Ainsworth "attachment behavior" examples of behavior that are demonstrated by
insecure children in hopes of establishing or re-establishing an attachment to a presently absent
caregiver. The children with strong attachments were relatively calm, seeming to be secure in the
belief that their caregivers would return shortly, whereas the children with weak attachments
would cry and demonstrate great distress under they were restored to their parents.
Stages of Attachment :
1.

Pre-attachment Stage: From birth to three months, infants do not show any particular
attachment to a specific caregiver. The infant's signals such as crying and fussing naturally
attract the attention of the caregiver, and the baby's positive responses encourage the
caregiver to remain close.

2.

Indiscriminate Attachment: From around six weeks of age to seven months, infants begin
to show preferences for primary and secondary caregivers. During this phase, infants begin to
develop a feeling of trust that the caregiver will respond to their needs. While they will still
accept care from other people, they become much better at distinguishing between familiar
and unfamiliar people as they approach seven months of age. They also respond more
positively to the primary caregiver.

3.

Discriminate Attachment: At this point, from about seven to eleven months of age, infants
show a strong attachment and preference for one specific individual. They will protest when
separated from the primary attachment figure (separation anxiety), and begin to display
anxiety around strangers (stranger anxiety).

4.

Multiple Attachments: After approximately nine months of age, children begin to form
strong emotional bonds with other caregivers beyond the primary attachment figure. This often
includes

the

father,

older

siblings, and grandparents.

Insecurity can be a significant problem
and it takes root when an infants
attachment bond fails to provide the child with sufficient
structure, recognition, understanding,
safety, and mutual accord. These insecurities
may lead us to:
o Tune out and turn off If our
parent is unavailable and self-absorbed,
children may get lost in their own inner
world,
avoiding
any
close,
emotional
connections. As adults, we may
become physically and emotionally
distant in relationships.

o Remain insecure If we have a parent who is inconsistent or intrusive, its likely we will become anxious and
fearful, never knowing what to expect. As adults, we may be available one moment and rejecting the next.

o Become disorganized, aggressive and angry When our early needs for emotional closeness go unfulfilled, or
when a parent's behavior is a source of disorientation or terror, problems are sure to follow. As adults, we may not
love easily and may be insensitive to the needs of our partner.
o Develop slowly Such delays manifest themselves as deficits and result in subsequent physical and mental health
problems, and social and learning disabilities.

Infants Form Attachments With Parents

Attachment begins in infancy and lasts throughout a lifetime. A newborn baby immediately needs
someone to take care of them. This person may be a parent, a sibling, or a nanny, but whoever it
is, there will be a bond formed between them. This primary caregiver is the one that will most
shape the child's personality and character. The primary caregiver is usually the mother and
strong bonds are formed within minutes of giving birth. It is important for the new parents and
baby to be alone together right after the birth to establish a strong bond. If there are too many
individuals in the room right after birth, the natural process of attachment can be disrupted and
this can have long-term effects on the relationship between the child and parents. The mother
automatically has some kind of bond to the child because she carried it for 9 months, but early
contact is important in forming strong bonds between them. Children whose mothers are given an
extra five hours of contact a day for the first three days of life have significantly higher IQ scores.
These children score higher on language and comprehension tests by age five, than children
whose mothers are not given extra time.
The mother and infant have an automatic bond, but the father must establish a bond after the
child is born. It is very important for the father to be involved in the delivery of the child and to be
available to the infant in case the mother cannot hold the child right away due to other
circumstances. Fathers who have early contact with their child have a stronger attachment with
them in the months following the birth. Strong attachment between father and child is shown
through physical contact and while holding the child, they face each other.
It has been said that parent-child bonds are the most important in forming the child's personality.
Babies are programmed at birth to be interested in the social world around them. It is assumed
that they learn much about the world through their caregivers and therefore their caregivers must
have much influence on their personality and their sense of others.
Adolescents Form Attachments With Peers
As a child reaches adolescence, they tend to depart away from the attachment relationships with
any parental type figure. Attachment bonds between parents and adolescents are "treated by
many adolescents more like ties that restrain than like ties that anchor and secure, and a key task
of adolescence is to develop autonomy so as no longer to need to rely (as much) on parents'
support when making one's way through the world". During adolescence, a new way of
approaching attachment is formed. This new form of attachment is predictive of attachment
behavior in future behavior, such as with their own kids or in marital relationships. It has to be
remembered though, that the relationship between parents and child does not become less
important during adolescence, the adolescent just becomes less dependent on the parents.
Adolescents are trying to reach autonomy during these years, but they understand that their
parents are still there to support them when needed. This goes hand in hand with infants and the
exploratory system. Adolescents are exploring the ideas of being independent, but when
independency becomes too overwhelming, they can turn to their parents, the secure base, for
help. Adolescents who exhibit autonomy seeking behavior usually have a positive relationship
with their parents, indicating that they feel comfortable exploring because they know their
parents will be there for them.
A way of seeking independence from the parents is to rely more on peers as attachment figures.
These strong relationships form because adolescents share the same mind set at that age, they
are trying to break away from their parents, so it is easy to rely on each other. Eventually,
adolescents will form long-term relationships with their peers that may be of the romantic kind,
which may become full attachment relationships. Attachment relationships that turn romantic are
possible life long relationships. In conclusion, friendship attachments are important during
adolescence because they are sources of emotional security and support, contexts for growth in
social competence, and prototypes for later relationships.

Children's Attachment Has Important Consequences

Parents have important effects on their child's attachment system. Secure children express fears
about their parents leaving them, but they are resolved when the parents return home. Avoidant
children do not allow their fears and anxieties to show. They act as if everything is okay and they
feel secure. Ambivalent-dependent children tell stories about what they do when their parents are
away. Distressing and bad times are ignored while joyful, good times are exaggerated. These
children seem to have difficulty expressing more than one emotional perspective at a time.
Finally, disorganized-controlling children introduce fear into the story but cannot resolve it. The
parents remain physically and emotionally unavailable to the child, and the story ends with no
resolution.
Insecure attachment systems have been linked to psychiatric disorders, to which a child is
especially susceptible after the loss of an attachment figure. Children with insecure attachment
patterns "develop the inability to form secure attachments and react in a hostile, rejecting manner
with their environment". Severe attachment disorders cause the child to get close to an
attachment figure, and then pull away before they can be rejected or they deem themselves
unworthy in the eyes of the attachment figure. Children with secure attachment patterns are
capable of forming new attachment relationships while maintaining their current relationship with
their parents. Insecure children focus all of the attention on achieving a better relationship with
their parents, therefore making it difficult to form new attachment relationships.