Key Takeaways
He identified four phases of attachment.
These stages reflect a process where each step builds upon the last, leading to a strong, secure attachment under ideal circumstances.
Pre-attachment phase(Birth to 6 Weeks):
Attachment-in-the-Making(6 Weeks to 7 Months):
Clear-Cut Attachment(7 Months to 24 Months):
Formation of a Reciprocal Relationship(24 Months and Onwards):
Critical Evaluation
Schaffer & Emerson’s Stages of Attachment
Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson (1964) studied 60 babies at monthly intervals for the first 18 months of life (this is known as alongitudinal study).
The children were all studied in their own homes, and a regular pattern was identified in the development of attachment. The babies were visited monthly for approximately one year, their interactions with their carers were observed, and carers were interviewed.
The mother kept a diary to examine the evidence for the development of an attachment. The following measures were recorded:
•Stranger Anxiety– response to the arrival of a stranger.
•Separation Anxiety– distress level when separated from a carer, degree of comfort needed on return.
•Social Referencing– the degree to which a child looks at a carer to check how they should respond to something new (secure base).
Asocial(0 – 6 weeks):
Indiscriminate Attachments(6 weeks to 7 months):
Specific Attachment(7 – 9 months):
Multiple Attachment(10 months and onwards):
The Schaffer and Emerson study has low population validity. The infants in the study all came from Glasgow and were mostly from working-class families. In addition, the small sample size of 60 families reduces the strength of the conclusion we can draw from the study.
The study lacks historical validity. It was conducted in the 1960s when gender roles were different – Now, more men stay at home to look after their children, and more women go out to work, so the sample is biased.
References
Kisilevsky, B. S., Hains, S. M., Lee, K., Xie, X., Huang, H., Ye, H. H., … & Wang, Z. (2003). Effects of experience on fetal voice recognition.Psychological science,14(3), 220-224.
Porter, R., & Winberg, J. (1999). Unique salience of maternal breast odors for newborn infants.Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews,23(3), 439-449.
Schaffer, H. R., & Emerson, P. E. (1964). The development of social attachments in infancy.Monographs of the society for research in child development, 1-77.
bowlby attachment phases
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
