- Attachment theory Wikipedia
Within attachment theory, infant behaviour associated with attachment is primarily the seeking of proximity to an attachment figure in stressful situations. Infants become attached to adults who are sensitive and responsive in social interactions with them, and who remain as consistent caregivers for some months during the period from about six months to two years of age. During the latter part of this period, children begin to use attachment figures (familiar people) as a secure base to explore from and return to. Parental responses lead to the development of patterns of attachment; these, in turn, lead to internal working models which will guide the individual's feelings, thoughts and expectations in later relationships.
- Biography of Psychologist John Bowlby The Founder of Attachment Theory 2023-09-12 VeryWellMind
John Bowlby (February 26, 1907-September 2, 1990) was a British psychologist and psychoanalyst who believed that early childhood attachments played a critical role in later development and mental functioning. His work, along with the work of psychologist Mary Ainsworth, contributed to the development of attachment theory.
The WHO commissioned Bowlby to write a report on the mental health of homeless children in Europe. In 1951, the resulting work Maternal Care and Mental Health was published. In it, he wrote, "...the infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute–one person who steadily ‘mothers’ him) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment."
- MATERNAL CARE AND MENTAL HEALTH JOHN BOWLBY; London Consultant in Mental Health, World Health Organization A report prepared on behalf of the World Health Organization as a contribution to the United Nations programme for the welfare of homeless children
I took up my temporary appointment with the World Health Organiza- tion in January 1950, and during the late winter and early spring visited several countries in Europe—France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom—and the United States of America. In each I had discussions with workers, most of whom were concerned with child care and child guidance, saw something of their work, and was introduced to the literature. In these discussions I found a very high degree of agree- ment existing both in regard to the principles underlying the mental health of children and the practices by which it may be safeguarded. In compiling this report my task has thus been to do justice to an extensive literature and to bring out the many points of importance to which my attention has been drawn ; little time has had to be expended in reconciling divergent views.
- Attachment Theory? Definition and Stages (Bowlby) 2023-05-25 USNews
- Pre-attachment phase: This phase occurs from birth to around 6 weeks. Infants are inherently social and show preference for human faces, but their interactions are not yet focused on a specific caregiver.
- Attachment-in-the-making phase: This phase picks up around 6 weeks and lasts until the infant is 6 to 8 months of age. Here, infants begin to form a preference for a particular caregiver, seeking proximity to that person and displaying some distress when separated.
- Clear-cut attachment phase: This phase starts between 6 and 8 months and goes until sometime between 18 and 24 months. Infants actively seek proximity to their primary caregiver, show separation anxiety and rely on the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore the world.
- Reciprocal relationship phase: This phase begins around 18 to 24 months and continues onwards. Children develop more complex relationships with their caregivers, actively seeking and maintaining closeness, engaging in shared play, and showing greater emotional understanding and communication.
- Stages of Attachment Identified by Schaffer and Emerson 2021-03-22
- Asocial stage (0-6 weeks) - Similar responses to objects & people. Preference for faces/ eyes.
- Indiscriminate attachments (6 weeks – 6 months) - Preference for human company. Ability to distinguish between people but comforted indiscriminately.
- Specific (7 months +) - Infants show a preference for one caregiver, displaying separation and stranger anxiety. The baby looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection.
- Multiple (10/11 months +) - Attachment behaviours are displayed towards several different people eg. siblings, grandparents etc.
- Mary Ainsworth: Strange Situation Experiment & Attachment Theory 2023-08-05 Simply Psychology
Ainsworth (1970) identified three main attachment styles, secure (type B), insecure avoidant (type A), and insecure ambivalent/resistant (type C). She concluded that these attachment styles resulted from early interactions with the mother.
A fourth attachment style, known as disorganized, was later identified (Main, & Solomon, 1990).
Secure Resistant Avoidant Separation Anxiety Distressed when mother leaves Intense distress when the mother leaves No sign of distress when the the mother leaves Stranger Anxiety Avoidant of stranger when alone, but friendly when the mother is present The infant avoids the stranger – shows fear of the stranger The infant is okay with the stranger and plays normally when the stranger is present Reunion behavior Positive and happy when mother returns The infant approaches the mother, but resists contact, may even push her away The Infant shows little interest when the mother returns Other Uses the mother as a safe base to explore their environment The infant cries more and explores less than the other two types The mother and stranger are able to comfort the infant equally well % of infants 70% 15% 15% - What are the different types of attachment? 2020-10-07 The Wave Clinic
- Secure Attachment: "Children with secure attachment styles are active and demonstrate confidence in their interactions with others."
- Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment: "They constantly seek approval from their caregivers and continuously observe their surroundings for fear of being abandoned."
- Avoidant Attachment: "Children who have developed under the ‘avoidant’ style have learned to accept that their emotional needs are likely to remain unmet and continue to grow up feeling unloved and insignificant."
- Disorganised Attachment: "Disorganised attachment is a combination of avoidant and anxious attachment [...] They may break toys and behave in other volatile ways – they also have difficult relationships with caregivers"
- Attachment Styles & Their Role in Relationships The Attachment Project
- Anxious / Preoccupied - "Adults with an anxious attachment style tend to have a negative self-view, but a positive view of others. [...] In other words, they deeply fear abandonment."
- Avoidant / Dismissive - "People with the avoidant/dismissive attachment style tend to have a positive self-view and negative one of others. [...] They do not want to depend on others, have others depend on them, or seek support and approval in social bonds."
- Disorganized / Fearful-Avoidant - "People with the disorganized attachment style tend to vacillate between the traits of both anxious and avoidant attachment depending on their mood and circumstances. [...] the partner and the relationship themselves are often the source of both desire and fear."
- Secure Attachment - "the secure attachment style implies that a person is comfortable expressing emotions openly. Therefore, adults with a secure attachment style can depend on their partners and, in turn, let their partners rely on them."
- Signs You Have an Anxious-Preoccupied Attachment Style 2023-05-03 Amy Marschall, PsyD VeryWellMind
If your attachment style is anxious-preoccupied, you might have significant difficulty trusting people and have a strong fear of being rejected. Although you may desire close, intimate relationships, your anxiety about being abandoned can interfere with your ability to form these connections.
- The Superpowers of Anxious Preoccupied Attachment 2021-08-16 Attachment Project
Anxious adults may unintentionally act as workplace “sentinels”; guardians of the team whose job it is to stand watch and make sure that nothing bad happens. In fact, a study by Ein-Dor and Tal (2012) showed that people who scored highly on a questionnaire designed to assess for anxious attachment were more likely to detect and alert others to threats.
- What Are Avoidant and Anxious Preoccupied Attachment Styles? 2023-04-13 The Private Therapy Clinic
- Constant checking-in: Individuals with this attachment style may frequently check in with their partners, seeking reassurance about their partner’s feelings and whereabouts. This behaviour can become overwhelming and may lead the partner to feel smothered or controlled.
- Excessive jealousy: Driven by a fear of abandonment, individuals might experience heightened jealousy in their relationships. They may perceive even the slightest hint of competition or disinterest as a threat to their connection, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings.
- Fear of abandonment: The constant fear of being abandoned can result in clingy or controlling behaviour. This fear often drives those with anxious preoccupied attachment to seek reassurance from their partners, which may exhaust and frustrate their partners over time.
- Difficulty establishing boundaries: Individuals may struggle to set and maintain healthy boundaries within their relationships. This results in them prioritising their partner’s needs over their own, which can lead to resentment and blow-outs of anger.
- Emotional volatility: As individuals with this attachment style are prone to feeling emotionally insecure, their relationships may be marked by emotional ups and downs. This volatility can create a tense and unstable atmosphere, making it challenging for both partners to feel secure and supported.
- Impaired communication: In an attempt to avoid potential rejection or abandonment, individuals may engage in passive or indirect communication styles. An example of this is withholding information they fear might damage the connection, which, in turn, can make it difficult to effectively resolve conflicts.
- Signs of Dismissive Avoidant Attachment 2023-04-13 Ariane Resnick, Verywell Mind
- Highly secretive: People who are dismissive-avoidant are often secretive and rigid, not allowing their own plans to be influenced by others and, often, not even disclosing those plans at all.
- Dismissive: When someone tries to get close to a person with a dismissive-avoidant attachment style, they may step back completely from the relationship or friendship. They may be seen as cold, distant, and closed off.
- Brief, casual relationships: In terms of relationships, those with dismissive-avoidant attachment are often more prone to short and shallow romantic partnerships, in which the connection is casual and is usually over quickly.
- The Superpowers of Dismissive Avoidant Attachment 2022-07-06 Attachment Project
Avoidantly workers could be considered evolutionary altruists. They are incurring a personal cost in order to enhance the quality of life of others. The results of a study by Ein-Dor and colleagues (2010) demonstrated that although having an insecure attachment style can be harmful on an individual level, there is a potential evolutionary benefit.
- Dismissive Avoidant: Symptoms, Causes, And Relationships Mia Barnes, Science of People
Dismissive-avoidant attachment style is a social connection that occurs when someone instinctively avoids becoming emotionally attached or close to others.
- Introduction to Dismissive-Avoidant Attachment & How to Heal 2023-08-01 Nadine Macaluso
Dismissive-avoidant attachment generally develops when the primary caregiver is absent (physically, mentally or emotionally), unavailable, neglectful, physically or mentally ill, or otherwise incapable of meeting the child’s needs, perhaps due to their own attachment trauma – or simply because of common life circumstances like working and being away from the home much of the time. When a child finds that their needs are chronically unmet, they may begin to withdraw, assuming the belief that they are “on their own.”
- Disorganized Attachment: Causes & Symptoms 2023-06-05 Attachment Project
Adults with a disorganized attachment style in relationships lack of a coherent approach. On the one hand, they want to belong. They want to love and be loved.
While on the other hand, they are afraid to let anyone in. They have a strong fear that the people who are closest to them will hurt them.
- The Superpowers of Fearful Avoidant Attachment 2023-04-06 Attachment Project
The benefits of the disorganized attachment style are often similar to those experienced by people with anxious and avoidant attachment styles. It just depends on which one your disorganized attachment style aligns with more. You might even recognize superpowers that you previously thought were a challenge associated with your attachment style!
- What Disorganized Attachment Looks Like in a Relationship 2023-06-20 Verywell Mind
When a person with a disorganized attachment style approaches any type of intimacy or close bond with another person, they’re filled with an overwhelming and conflicting senses of longing and dread.
- Adult Attachment Theory and Research R. Chris Fraley, University of Illinois's Department of Psychology
Although Bowlby was primarily focused on understanding the nature of the infant-caregiver relationship, he believed that attachment characterized human experience from "the cradle to the grave." It was not until the mid-1980's, however, that researchers began to take seriously the possibility that attachment processes may play out in adulthood. Hazan and Shaver (1987) were two of the first researchers to explore Bowlby's ideas in the context of romantic relationships. According to Hazan and Shaver, the emotional bond that develops between adult romantic partners is partly a function of the same motivational system--the attachment behavioral system--that gives rise to the emotional bond between infants and their caregivers.
- Attachment Styles and How They Affect Your Relationships Mark Manson
Anxious and avoidants frequently end up in relationships with one another more often than they end up in relationships with their own types.17 That may seem counter-intuitive, but there’s order behind the madness. Avoidant types are so good at putting others off that oftentimes it’s only the anxious types who are willing to stick around and put in the extra effort to get them to open up.
- 1958: Harry Harlow (Baby monkeys prefer furry surrogate to food)
- 1958,63: Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
- 1964: Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson
- 1969: Mary Ainsworth Strange Situation Experiment
- 1987: Hazan and Shaver Romantic Love as and Attachment Process
- Attachment Theory: The Definitive Guide 2023-06-29 Sai Blackbyrn, Coach Foundation