By: Eliza Stagg
Hadley Hege
What is the Attachment
Theory?
John Bowlby started the work after World War II
•
Interdisciplinary study:
•
Psychological
•
Ethological
•
Evolutionary
•
Impacts long-term relationships between humans
•
Most important tenet is an infant needs
•
To form a relationship with at least 1 primary caregiver. Develops over the 1st
year
•
It is a fundamental need to feel socially connected without it normal
social/emotional development do not occur
Bowlby’s Belief
 In a child’s early years the mother helps the child learn to selfregulate
 This is done by the mother acting as the child’s ego and superego:
 Orients space and time
 Provides and maintains environment
 Balances the infants impulses by permitting or restricting them
 “Gradually he learns these arts himself, and as he does, the skilled
parent transfers the roles to him. This is a slow, subtle and
continuous process, beginning when he first learns to walk and feed
himself, and not ending completely until maturity is reached. . . .
Ego and super-ego development are thus inextricably wound up
with the child’s primary human relationships.” Bowlby
Four Characteristics of Attachment
 Maintenance- A want to be near the person/people we are
attached to
 Safe Haven- Caregiver is a source of safety and comfort
 Secure Base- Caregiver is a source of safety which enables the
child to explore knowing he can return to safety if distressed
 Separation Distress
- Anxiety arises when
the caregiver is absent
Attachment with Infants
Four stages of attachment:
1. Preattachment stage- birth to 6 weeks, caregiver is close, baby
attracts and responds positively
2. Attachment in the making- 6 weeks to 6-8 months, develops
sense of trust, responds more familiar, doesn’t
protest separation
3. Clear-cut Attachment- 6-8 months to 18-24months, separation
anxiety protests
4. Formation of Reciprocal Relationship-18mo to2 years,
increased understanding caregiver will return, more
knowledge of language and symbols
The Patterns of Infant
Attachment
 Type
Pattern
 A
Insecure/Avoidant
 B
Secure
 C
 D
Definition
Infant avoids connecting
with its caregiver.
Infant receives comfort &
confidence.
Insecure-resistant/
Infants anxiety is
ambivalent
apparent, becomes very
upset with separation
but struggles with the
reunion.
Disorganized
reaction to the
Marked by infants
inconsistent
caregiver
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_ZMO7GU
What If Attachment
Doesn’t Happen?
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDh1C-PubYQ
Adult Attachment Styles and It's Role
In Romantic Relationships
 Adult relationships are influenced by earlier attachment
patterns.
 Cindy Hazed and Phillip Shaver applied the attachment
theory (Bowlby and Ainsworth) to adult relationships in the
late 1980’s.
 They had found that there was similarities between the
child and caregiver relationship and adult relationships such
as:
 Both feel safe when the other is near and responsive.
 Engage in physical contact.
 Share discoveries with one another.
 Anxiety arises when the other is not accessible.
Adult Attachment
 Bowlby believes that mental representations are a
function of their care giving experience.
 That being said, in looking for a romantic relationship
adults seek out similar experiences they had from the
previous primary caregiver.
Secure Attachment
 When others respond positively to an infant it carries on
throughout life. Securely attached people tend to think positively
about themselves, others, and their relationships.
 Securely attached adults tend to have longer relationships, more
trust, commitment and interdependency than those that express
anxious-preoccupied and avoidant attachment styles.
 Likely to go to their partner as a secure base or safe haven when
exploring the world.
 They are able to depend on each other for support.
Insecure Anxiouspreoccupied Attachment
 Typically, adults with an anxious preoccupied attachment
style tend to have low self-esteem.
 In a romantic relationship they seem to be overly dependent
of their partner, seeking high levels of intimacy and
approval.
 Want to have very close relationships but fear that the other
doesn't want to get as close as they'd like and don't value
them as much.
 Unlike securely attached adults, they often doubt and blame
themselves for the lack of ressonsiveness.
Insecure Avoidant
Attachment
 Dismissive-avoidant:
 Tend to surrpress their feelings, and usually do not have a tough time
doing so.
 Although they are very good at hiding what they really feel, research
on stress levels and heart rate shows that they do indeed feel distressed
when talking about the loss of a romantic partner.
 Fearful-avoidant:
 Aren't able to come accross in an as cool, defensive manner like
the dismissive-avoidant adult can.
 Proceed into a romantic relationship not totally cut off but with
caution.
 Don't usually have very much trust for their partner and may not
believe that they deserve their partners responsiveness.
Conclusion
 Attachments formed in infancy and early childhood
influence romantic relationships in adulthood.
 Though it may be evident that the attachment
behavioral system is a property in romantic
relationships, not all romantic relationships are
genuine attachment relationships.
Works cited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_in_adults

http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfarley/attachment.htm

Bretherton, Inge (2012). The Origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary
Ainsworth. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/Attachment%20-%20Bowlby%20%26%20Ainsworth.pdf

Cherry, Kendra (2012). Attachment Styles. About.com Retrieved November 20, 2012, from
http://psychology.about.com/od/loveandattraction/ss/attachmentstyle.htm

Stassen Berger, Kathleen (2010). Invitation to the Life Span. New York: Worth Publishers

EdTraining Games (January 26, 2011). Secure, Insecure, Avoidant & Ambivalent Attachment
in Mothers & Babies. Retrieved November 20, 2012 from,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_ZMO7GU

TVOParents (November 28, 2010) What Happens When Attachment Doesn’t Happen?.
Retrieved November 20 2012 from, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDh1C-PubYQ

GreenbaumWilkinson (March 31, 2012) The Role of Attachment in Infancy on Later Mental
and Physical Health. Retrieved November 20, 2012 from,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bul1meciGE