Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAttachment TheoryBackgroundStages of AttachmentInfluencesAttachment StylesImpact
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Attachment Theory
Background
Stages of Attachment
Influences
Attachment Styles
Impact
Close
Attachment theory focuses on relationships and bonds (particularly long-term) between people, including those between a parent and child and between romantic partners. It is a psychological explanation for the emotional bonds and relationships between people.
This theory suggests that people are born with a need to forge bonds with caregivers as children. These early bonds may continue to have an influence on attachments throughout life.
Verywell / JR Bee
History of the Attachment Theory
Thinkers like Freud suggested that infants become attached to the source of pleasure. Infants, who are in the oral stage of development, become attached to their mothers because she fulfills their oral needs.
Some of the earliestbehavioral theoriessuggested that attachment was simply a learned behavior. These theories proposed that attachment was merely the result of the feeding relationship between the child and the caregiver. Because the caregiver feeds the child and provides nourishment, the child becomes attached.
Understanding Attachment
Throughout history, children who maintained proximity to an attachment figure were more likely to receive comfort and protection, and therefore more likely to survive to adulthood. Through the process of natural selection, a motivational system designed to regulate attachment emerged.
The central theme of attachment theory is that primary caregivers who are available and responsive to an infant’s needs allow the child to develop a sense of security. The infant learns that the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to then explore the world.
Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation”
Based on the responses the researchers observed, Ainsworth described three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. Later, researchers Main and Solomon (1986) added a fourth attachment style called disorganized-insecure attachment based on their own research.
A number of studies since that time have supported Ainsworth’s attachment styles and have indicated that attachment styles also have an impact on behaviors later in life.
How to Be Less Insecure
Maternal Deprivation Studies
Harry Harlow’sinfamous studies on maternal deprivationand social isolation during the 1950s and 1960s also explored early bonds. In a series of experiments, Harlow demonstrated how such bonds emerge and the powerful impact they have on behavior and functioning.
Harlow’s work also demonstrated that early attachments were the result of receiving comfort and care from a caregiver rather than simply the result of being fed.
The Stages of Attachment
Researchers Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson analyzed the number of attachment relationships that infants form in alongitudinal studywith 60 infants. The infants were observed every four weeks during the first year of life, and then once again at 18 months.
Based on their observations, Schaffer and Emerson outlined four distinct phases of attachment, including:
Pre-Attachment Stage
Indiscriminate Attachment
Between 6 weeks of age to 7 months, infants begin to show preferences for primary and secondary caregivers. Infants develop trust that the caregiver will respond to their needs. While they still accept care from others, infants start distinguishing between familiar and unfamiliar people, responding more positively to the primary caregiver.
Discriminate Attachment
At this point, from about 7 to 11 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).
Multiple Attachments
After approximately 9 months of age, children begin to form strong emotional bonds with other caregivers beyond the primary attachment figure. This often includes a second parent, older siblings, and grandparents.
Factors That Influence Attachment
While this process may seem straightforward, there are some factors that can influence how and when attachments develop, including:
There are four patterns of attachment, including:
Take the Quiz to Find Out Your Attachment Style
The Lasting Impact of Early Attachment
Children who are securely attached as infants tend to develop strongerself-esteemand better self-reliance as they grow older. These children also tend to be more independent, perform better in school, have successful social relationships, and experience less depression and anxiety.
Research suggests that failure to form secure attachments early in life can have a negative impact on behavior in later childhood and throughout life.
Children diagnosed withoppositional defiant disorder(ODD),conduct disorder(CD), orpost-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) frequently display attachment problems, possibly due to early abuse, neglect, or trauma. Children adopted after the age of 6 months may have a higher risk of attachment problems.
Attachment Disorders
In some cases, children may also develop attachment disorders. There are two attachment disorders that may occur: reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED).
Adult Attachments
Although attachment styles displayed in adulthood are not necessarily the same as those seen in infancy, early attachments can have a serious impact on later relationships. Adults who were securely attached in childhood tend to have good self-esteem, strong romantic relationships, and the ability to self-disclose to others.
A Word From Verywell
Such bonds can also have an influence on romantic relationships in adulthood. Understanding your attachment style may help you look for ways to become more secure in your relationships.
9 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Draper P, Belsky J.Personality development in the evolutionary perspective.J Pers.1990;58(1):141-61. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1990.tb00911.x
Main M, Solomon J. Discovery of a new, insecure-disorganized/disoriented attachment pattern. In: Brazelton TB, Yogman M, eds.,Affective Development in Infancy.Ablex.
Harlow HF.The nature of love.American Psychologist.1958;13(12):673-685. doi:10.1037/h0047884
Schaffer HR, Emerson PE.The development of social attachments in infancy.Monogr Soc Res Child Dev.1964;29:1-77. doi:10.2307/1165727
Lyons-Ruth K.Attachment relationships among children with aggressive behavior problems: The role of disorganized early attachment patterns.J Consult Clin Psychol.1996;64(1):64-73. doi:https:10.1037/0022-006X.64.1.64
Young ES, Simpson JA, Griskevicius V, Huelsnitz CO, Fleck C.Childhood attachment and adult personality: A life history perspective.Self and Identity. 2019;18:1:22-38. doi:10.1080/15298868.2017.1353540
Ainsworth MDS, Blehar MC, Waters E, Wall S.Patterns of Attachment: A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation. Erlbaum.
Ainsworth MDS. Attachments and other affectional bonds across the life cycle. In:Attachment Across the Life Cycle. Parkes CM, Stevenson-Hinde J, Marris P, eds. Routledge.
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