Attachment Theory Essay

Attachment Theory Paper
Attachment theory is an emotional bond that connects one person to another. Attachment theory
deals with intimacy in relationships and the impact an attachment can have across a person's
lifespan. Attachment theory usually focuses on the relationships between a child and a parent
/caregiver or between partners. John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth are responsible for the creation of
attachment theory after they began to work on mother–infant interactions. There were three
categories that were formed due to their findings; Secure, Insecure, Anxious attachment with 3 sub
categories avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. According to the article on Attachment style and
the Cognitive Representation of Communication Situation attachment theory is associated
specifically with communicative behavior in relationships. The bond between a child and mother is
the primary force of infant development as per Bowlby and Ainsworth.
A healthy relationship between an infant and their mother or primary caregiver is responsible for
shaping the child's...show more content...
Children in this category will usually show a pattern of anxiousness or disorganization, but they are
very independent and very aware of their relationship with their caregiver. In insecure attachment, it
can be inferred that the child was either abused or neglected, but it's not always the case. Secure
attachment is classified by children who show some distress when their mom or primary caregiver
leaves but can control themselves if they know their caregiver is returning. These children usually
feel protected by their mom or caregiver. This is usually because the toddler knows that the primary
caregiver will return. In anxious ambivalent attachment at extreme the child and the caregiver cannot
separate at all. In anxious avoidant, the child does not want a connection with the primary caregiver
at
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Attachment Theory Essay
Chris Livoti3/5/13
IB Psychology Mrs. Urso John Bowlby is the pioneer of the attachment theory and worked with
children who had been separated from their parents during World War 2. He observed that many
of these children developed emotional problems, and he made the connection that the emotional
problems stemmed from the separation from the mother. Bowlby was born in London to an
upper class family, and would rarely see, and interact with his mother. At the young age of seven
he was sent off to boarding school, which was very common for boys of his social status. He would
later go on to say "I wouldn't send a dog away to boarding school at age seven." These circumstances
would lead...show more content...
Finally was mild deprivation which could result in minor problems for the child, but no serious
complications. Bowlby's main theory which he is most well known for is his Attachment Theory.
Bowlby believed that for a strong attachment to be formed there must be proximity maintenance (the
desire to be near the people we are attached to), a safe haven(returning to the attachment figure for
comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat), a secure base(the attachment figure acts as a base of
security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment),and separation distress
(anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure). The main points of his attachment
theory were that a child has an innate need to attach to one main attachment figure(monotropy).
Another main point in his theory was that he believed a child should receive the continuous care of
the single most important attachment figure for the first two years of life. Bowlby used the term
maternal deprivation to refer to the failure to develop an attachment, and to refer to the separation or
loss of a mother. To support his hypothesis that the relationship between the infant and mother in the
first five years was crucial to socialization, and the disruption of this relationship can lead to
emotional difficulties, antisocial behavior, and delinquency, he studied forty–four juvenile
delinquents in a child guidance clinic. The study was called the forty four thieves study, and the goal
was

Short Essay On Attachment Theory
First of all, attachment theory is revealed in this movie. mentions that "" In addition, this theory have
two aspects, dismissive and preoccupied. when I replace with summer and Tom, Summer reflects the
dismissive model. Instead of that, Tom reflects the preoccupied model. Firsltly, the reasons why
summer classified the dismissive style are her self–reliance, how she constantly downplays, and
distance in relaitonship. In other words, her communicaitong styls classified as a low
self–monitoring; although she has a self –confidentce like she attracts a lot of mens, she usualy
avoide initimacy. Her characteristc is revead this phrase: "I don't feel comfortable being anyone's
girlfriend, I don't actually feel comfortable being anyone's anything... I like being on my own,
relationships are messy and people's feelings get hurt, who needs it?" As this sentece shows that, she
does not need the initimacy. In addition, she likes flow communication. for instance, at the first
time, she has a passion toward Tom, but in the end they break up beucase Summer relazied that Tom
is one of the best frineds, not boyfriend. It is evid ent that she is...show more content...
It is clear that he tries to invest amd involve hin his relationship with summer. To,m gives a strong
effor to pleaseinf summer which shows that he is like a self–monitor. In addition, he made a effort to
adapt his communication style for summer and prioiritize her relaitonship with him over anyone
else in his life. Thus, his dreams and future goals is influenced by Summer. For example, when he
conffessed he tried to be a archtest reflected this characteristic because he never tried before to be a
archtest. Thus, the power of the relaitonship is very obviouse here: summer has a superiority and
dominace him. his needy behavior and above–and–beyond attention towards Summer makes him
vulnerable. However at the same time it also puts a lot of pressure on Summer to

Early Childhood Attachment Theory Essay
INTRODUCTION
This essay will provide an overview of attachment theory, and provide a description of the three
different attachment styles. This essay will then explain the attachment styles that Chris and Sam
have developed over the course of their childhood and into their adult romantic relationship. The
essay will then look at two studies which support the claims. The essay will also provide some
information in order to assist Chris and Sam with their relationship trouble.
WHAT ISATTACHMENT THEORY
?
Attachment theory is based on the studies conducted by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth (asa cited
by Bretherton, 1992). This is the combination of Bowlby's interest in the link between loss and
deprivation in the early years of life, and...show more content...
Those with Anxious–Ambivalent attachment styles did not have supportive father figures, and
those with Avoidant attachment styles did not have a consistent level of care from their caregiver
(Girme et al., 2015). This study also provided evidence that a high level of clear and purposeful
care from a partner can be helpful to individuals with an avoidant attachment style (Girme et al.,
2015). This information can be helpful to Chris and Sam, with Sam having an avoidant attachment
style, she would benefit if Chris was able to provide the required level and clarity of support to Sam.
Communication could be the main factor which could assist the pair in continuing the relationship
(Reference

Attachment theory has had some very powerful theorists that have come up with these ideologies. In
1969, John Bowlby was the first theorist to develop the attachment theory. It is a theory developed to
explain the emotional ties that children had with their parents or caregivers. It was believed that a
child's attachment style with a caregiver was developed throughout childhood and influenced how
an individual interacts with society. It also gave an indication on what their parenting styles might be
like, although this was not always a concrete indication. Bowlby's theory provided the basis on which
Mary Ainsworth also worked on and developed. In the 1970's Ainsworth developed and conducted
the "strange situation" experiment, which proved...show more content...
The child whom welcomed their mother's closeness and who welcomed the mothers return was
named secure attachment. The children whom ignored the mothers arrival was deemed as avoidant
attachment and the children whom were perceived as showing signs of anger yet still actively
seeked the mothers attention and contact was called ambivalent attachment.
These following scenarios fit into each of the three attachment styles; secure, ambivalent and
avoidant. Charlotte is the 2 year old child of Sandra. Sandra is a solo parent who has fully
immersed herself into her work as she cannot deal with the problems she is presently faced with.
Sandra tries her best with Charlotte but finds it very hard to meet her needs, so she buries herself in
her work and is very inconsistent in caring for Charlotte. As a result of Sandra's parenting technique
Charlotte is very wary of people. When Sandra leaves Charlotte as Kindergarten each morning she
becomes quite distressed. But with the return of Sandra, Charlotte does not seem to be comforted by
this either. As an adult, these signs of ambivalent attachment could lead Charlotte to become very
reluctant to be close to others, she might worry that her partner does not love her or she might
become very distraught when a relationship ends. This scenario fits into the ambivalent attachment
style as Charlotte displays the characteristics commonly seen with this

The Attachment Theory Essay
The Attachment Theory
The attachment theory talks about the early significance and developments of attachment between
infants and their mothers. Attachment can be defined as intense, emotional ties to specific people.
The attachment process can be divided into pre–attachment, discriminate and indiscriminate and
multiple attachment phases.
The development of specific attachment is shown through separation anxiety.
The most influential versions of this approach was probably that of Sigmund Freud, who believed
that the infants upset at the mothers absence is based on the crass fear that bodily needs would now
go unsatisfied.
The British psychiatrist john bowlby called this the...show more content...
The strange situation is used to classify the baby's basic attachment to the mother into three main
types: anxious–avoidant, securely attached and anxious resistant.
The crucial feature determining the quality of attachment is the mother's sensitivity.
Bolwby suggest that such a built in fear of the unfamiliar has a simple survival value. Infants who
lack it are more likely to stray away from their mothers and will be more likely to go and perish.
Bolwby suggest that the first five years of life are crucial to the Child's later development. He
highlighted four majors systems in infant behavior, whereby he stated that children use all four of
these systems in their interaction with their environment and the people around them.
He stated what is known as the continuity hypothesis, which is the idea that a damaged infancy leads
to the idea of a damaged childhood which in turn leads to a damaged adulthood.
Infants who do not have any sort of attachments whatsoever could have some everlasting effects on
their adulthood. Researcher's tizard and Hodges 1978 concluded from their research that children
may be deprived of their opportunity to form personal attachments if they are raised in an institution.
Also, there is evidence that disruption in the family home during childhood could affect how the
parents interact with their

BowlbyвЂ™s Attachment Theory Essay example
Bowlby's attachment theory has greatly influenced practice. His theory of attachment explains the
importance of having a figure that the child shares a strong bond with. Having an attachment can
significantly support a child's development as Barbara Woods suggests that "his theory of attachment
proposed that attachment is innate in both infants and mothers, and that the formation of this
attachment is crucial for the infants development" Wood, B (2001, p.53). Bowlby believed that
forming an attachment will help a child develop in all areas e.g. emotionally, physical and mentally.
However if they did not form an attachment in the sensitive period, the child may have issues or
problems in their cognitive, emotional and social development....show more content...
If any problems occur to the child, they can return to their secure base which is their key worker,
who can offer them comfort. Although key workers are not there for children who have not formed
an attachment with their parents, they are they to offer support and comfort. The strength of
Bowlby's approach is that it has introduced the key worker system, which has helped a great deal
with supporting children's needs and development. Key workers can track their progress and plan
and implement activities which promote their development. While working at my last year's
placement in a nursery setting, I was informed that each child had a key worker assigned to them. I
observed that when parents would leave their children, some would cry and get upset, the key
worker would then take them aside and comfort them or try to distract them. Having the key workers
there for them made the child more emotionally secure. His theory has also influenced other child
care practices such as hospitals. Parents are now able to stay with their children due to understanding
their emotional development can be disrupted if their attachment figure is not with them through a
difficult period of their life when they need support. "Parent's were encouraged to be with the child
in hospital: nursing care and the ward itself became child–centered" Wood, B (2001, p.60). Some
research states that children need to have a good relationship

Attachment Theory And Family Systems Theory Essay
When a parent is incarcerated, we often think about the negative impacts that it leaves on the child.
However, what is often overlooked are the negative effects that the incarceration of one partner can
have on the attachment and parenting styles of both partners. When a father is incarcerated the
mother becomes the primary caregiver, causing a stress. This stress often impacts the mother's
attachment with her child and the parenting style. Likewise, the father begins to feel a loss of
control, lower self–esteem, and feel powerless in the situation. Attachment theory and Family
Systems theory relates to the issues that arise when a parent is incarcerated. Attachment theory is
based on the idea that children's sense of contingent on the relationships formed with their
caregivers. How assured they are in this security predicts the their development of cognitive and
social skills continuing into adulthood (Makariev & Shaver, 2010). Family systems theory explains
how everyday functioning develops, either in roles, behaviors, rules, goals, and how families adapt
to change. Not only does it describe the everyday functioning, but it describes the relationships
within the family subsystem. They describe this relationship between parent and child to be
bidirectional meaning that influences are two ways. This direction begins to evolve, as the child
grows older (Binger & Gerhardt, 2014). There are programs within prisons that use these theories,
and help to alleviate some of the

John Bowlby Attachment Theory Research Paper
In the late 1960's John Bowlby created the attachment theory. The attachment theory is a concept in
developmental psychology, which in personal development concerns the importance of attachment.
Specifically, it makes the claim that the ability for an individual to form an emotional and physical
attachment to another person. It gives a sense of ability and security necessary to take risks, to
branch out, to grow, and develop a personality. Theattachment theory is mainly focused on
long–term relationships and bonds, particularly between a parent and child.
Bowlby defines the attachment theory as a lasting psychological connectedness between human
beings. Comfort, security, and nourishment come with the formation of attachment bonds. Bowlby
suggests that attachment comes in four phases, the pre–attachment phase, the indiscriminate...show
more content...
The pre–attachment phase suggests that babies do not have any attachment yet but they do
recognize their primary caretaker. When babies cry it draws the attention of the parent, and the
parent will care for them. This stage progresses though about three months, and then the infant
begins the develop a sense of trust because they recognize the parent more. In the indiscriminate
phase the primary and secondary caretakers in the infant's life, the infant shows distinct preference
for. Discriminate period, children will experience separation anxiety and distress when separated
from the one individual that they formed a strong attachment with. Last the multiple attachment
phase is when begin to develop strong attachments to other people besides their primary caretaker.
When children come into the world they

Attachment Theory
Longitudinal studies would be useful to determine if attachment styles are continuous throughout
life. Attachment is seen as universal, but it does not take account for different cultures, which can
lead to different types of child rearing. Also with that idea, attachment theory focuses mostly on
maternal bond with the infant. Some families all around the world can have a different caregiver
than the traditional western society. Grandparents can help raise a child due to both parents
working or the father can rear a child due to divorce or death of a mother. Anyone who takes care
of a child's needs could develop a strong bond with the child. In the article written by Hazen and
Shaver (1994), it states that the type of temperament an infant

Attachment Theory: Fraley And Shaver (2000)
There is an abundance of research concerning attachment theory. This research ranges in age,
environment, and time, place, can focus on one attachment style, and on certain situations.
According to research from Fraley and Shaver (2000), attachment theorists have construed a variety
of 3 functions that separate attachment relationships from other kinds of relationships. The first is
that an attachment bond is marked by the tendency for a person to remain in close contact with the
attachment figure, and when separated, typically experience some degree of distress. Secondly, the
attachment figure is considered a "safe haven" when struck with illness, danger, or threat, and is seen
as a protector or supporter. Third, an attachment figure promotes

Attachment Theory: A Case Study
All of this evidence suggests that parasocial relationships are comparable, if not exactly equivalent,
to an individual's real–life relationships. Consequently, one can see important implications for
attachment theory, which describes characteristic patterns of interpersonal attachment among
individuals. According to attachment theory, an individual's interactions with others are influenced
by the childhood relationship with his or her primary caregiver (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980; Hazan
& Shaver, 1987). Over time, these early experiences and interactions form "working models" of
attachment, or cognitive representations of self and others, that revolve around the regulation and
fulfillment of the infant's needs. The end result is a characteristic...show more content...
Avoidant infants, who have learned that their proximity seeking will be rejected, show a pattern of
avoidance to their primary caregiver. Anxious–ambivalent (or anxious–resistant) infants, who have
learned that attachment figures are inconsistent and unreliable, are preoccupied with the
whereabouts of their attachment figures, and often display ambivalent or conflicted behaviours
toward them. Although these internal working models may be malleable and subject to revision in
the light of new attachment experiences (Hazan & Shaver, 1987), they seem to be resistant to
change and extend into adulthood (Fraley, 2002). This may be due, at least in part, to the reciprocal
nature of interactions with others: not only do working models shape an individual's interactions
with the environment, but they also shape the interpretation of the environment's effects on the
individual, and therefore tend to reinforce the individual's original belief (e.g., an avoidant individual
will often interpret people's actions in a negative way, which supports their negative beliefs about
people, and reinforces their underlying

Questions On Attachment Theory
1. Attachment theory is meant to describe and explain people's enduring patterns of relationships
across the lifespan. Mary Ainsworth is a prominent researcher who advanced the theory of
attachment. Parenting style, on the other hand, is the reciprocal, enduring tie between infant and
caregiver, each of whom contributes to the quality of the relationship. Discuss your attachment style
as a child and your mother and/or father's parenting style. How do your attachment style and the
parenting style affect your present relationships? (1000 words) 2. The theory of Multiple
Intelligences by Howard Gardner expanded the definition of intelligence. (a) Describe the benefits
of this theory in everyday life (for example, in school setting). (b) Assess the type of...show more
content...
According to Bowlby, children who face abusive relationship, or have an insecure or unreliable
caregivers end up in the later stage having a disturbed parenting style and skills.
John Bowlby attachment theory
His theory explains the importance of various forms of attachments that children adopt for their
survival. The main concepts involved in John Bowlby's attachment theory are as follows:
1.Child by nature gets attached to the caregivers; their relationship with their mother is different
from other relationship.
2.At least for the first two years of growth the child should receive continuous care and concern form
the attachment figure.
3.Deprivation of affection and concern from the attachment figure will lead the child to depression,
delinquency and other psychological issues in the later stages of life.
Hence in the year 1969 John Bowlby designed an internal working model, which gives the
relationship of individual with the world, self and others.
INTERNAL WORKING MODEL: JOHN

Personal Reflection According to John Bowlby's Attachment Theory, children come into the world
"programed" to create attachments with others in order to help them survive. The attachment that is
created during the infants first few days and week of life is extremely important. The attachment that
is created early on in the life, can affect development through out ones life. During Anisworth's
research, she established several types of attachment styles. The securely attached child would be
visibly upset when their mother walked out of the room and wanted the mother's attention once she
came back into the room. The Avoidantly attached child did not really cry when they were separated
and chose to avoid their mothers when they came back....show more content...
After quite sometime of spending every single day with my dad, I started to call my dad mom. I
referred to him as both dad and mom. When my mom finally returned, I didn't automatically
change over to calling her mom. The issue here was that I would say mom and look at my dad,
even thought my mom was back. Now, I did talk to my mom over the phone while she was away
and my dad reminded me every single day that she is coming back yet I couldn't adjust. This
carried on for about two or three weeks after she got back from Italy. I do not actually remember
what kind of contact I had with her when she got back or how I reacted after almost seven months
of not seeing her. But I do recall my mom trying to give me a hug and I ran to my dad saying
"mom". According to Orville Brime and Jerome Kagan "Sometimes after 6 months of age, babies
begin to show a decided preference for a particular adult, usually the mother...during any time of
stress–anxiety, illness, appearance of strangers–the baby will move to the preferred adult."(pg. 16)
In my case, I formed a stronger bond with my dad while my mom was away for those seven
months. Even though I was five years old, I looked at my dad as someone who was there and
someone I can run to when I was in a stressful situation. Now that I think about this, I spent more
time with my dad than mom in general. My mom would usually work till the night hours at the
grocery store and my dad would be the one that

Attachment Theory: A Case Study
Summary As we have seen in Rose's counseling session, past relational patterns are elicited from
exploration of the patients' past and early relationships. Key themes are: the degree of love and
care (emotional warmth) they experienced in early life; the degree of neglect and abuse; and the
types and qualities of core conflicts. In Rose's case, the key issue, as Dr. Berenson discovers over
the course of the interview is the subtle manipulation of a mother by her child. She tests her and
puts her through a lot of stress, to see how she responds; in this case losing sleep and stressing
over the situation. Critical analysis Emerging from early relating patterns, people develop a
number of 'working models' (Bowlby 1980) or schemas (Young et al. 2005) about themselves and
others. In cognitive interpersonal therapy it is the emotional core of these schemas that it is crucial
to understand. These arise from previous, direct emotional experiences and are key to the sense of
one's core identity. When they are activated they give rise to direct emotional experiences within the
self (Guidano and Liotti 1983) and may not be easily coded into language. This does not mean that
core emotional schemas arise only before language, as some suggest (Young 2004); it can also be
their direct emotional quality (as in trauma and shame) which is important. Research has shown that
the way the caregiver and infant interact has a significant effect on the maturation of the infant's
nervous system,

Attachment Theory And Attachment Theories
To begin with attachment theory, first everyone should understand what the attachment is.
According to attachment means bonding between a child and caregiver or vice versa. The
attachment theory is the theory that describes the long term interpersonal relationship between the
humans. Also, it can be defined as the strong bond between parent and child, and later in peer and
romantic relationship (Metzger, Erdman, Ng 85). It generates a specific fact that how the humans
react in relationships when they get hurt, separated from loved ones and perceiving a threat.
Basically the two main types of attachment are secure and insecure. Secure attachment is the
attachments where mother and father are available for their child and during that time child
demonstrates his or her stress and reestablish the connection (Metzger, Erdman, Ng 87). Insecure
attachment is the attachment where parents are not regularly in touch with their children or they
ignore their child which built a failed emotion communication (Metzger, Erdman, Ng 87). Also, it
may be repeated from one generation to another until it is not recovered. However, as a result of
attachment theory, it is so important for children to know about it and there are also several
emotional effects on children when their parents leave to go to another county due to their
connections or bond between them. The children have to understand the importance of attachment
theory because, it may help them to solve many

An Evalution of the Attachment Theory Essay
THE ATTACHMENT THEORY
AN EVALUTION OF THE ATTACHMENT THEORY
WHEN WORKING WITH CHILDREN IN CARE
Gail Walters
Dissertation
Social Work BA (HONS)
Manchester Metropolitan University
Tutor: Pauline Black
CONTENTS
Pages
Abstract 3
Acknowledgements 4
Statement of Ownership 5
Chapter1: Introduction
1. An...show more content...
Theory based strategies help carers of Looked after Children to facilitate and rebuild secure
attachments when they are supporting and working with children in care, or if they move
placements for example, into an adoptive or foster family. These strategies help the carers manage
and understand challenging behaviour that is often caused as a consequence of an insecure
attachment. Attachment can be defined as a long–lasting bond that is developed by infants towards
their parents and is described as 'a positive emotional link between two people – a link of affection'.
(Lindon,1998,35,Cited in Crawford et al, 2005). Attachment disorders can impact on a child's
developmental wellbeing throughout childhood and into adolescence. Evaluating the attachment
theory can show different ways these disorders affect the relationship of the child and carer.
British psychotherapist, John Bowlby (1907–1990) was recognized as the father of the attachment

theory and advanced a multidisciplinary stance, which included psychoanalysis with ethnology and
cognitive development. Bowlby (1969) wanted to understand more about the level of distress that
occurred in infants when they were separated from their parents and how that experience impacted
on their developmental wellbeing.
There are strong associations between early insecure attachments and later negative vulnerabilities
and problematical

Attachment Theory
Attachment Theory John Bowlby was a psychoanalyst and has developed his knowledge and
understanding into the theory of Attachment. Bowlby believed that children have been born
programmed to form attachments which will help them survive; this is known as evolutionary
attachments. Bowlby believed that all attachments are instinctive, he said that attachments are shown
when the child is under conditions of feeling threatened, such as: separation, fear and insecurity. In
1969 and 1988 Bowlby suggested that fear of strangers was an important survival mechanism; he
said that babies display natural behaviours, such as: crying, laughing, smiling and crawling, this
ensures the baby to feel in close contact with the mother. Attachment is an...show more content...
Children with attachment disorders will have a lack of self–esteem and trust, and will fears forming
a bond with people. Attachment disorder will most likely to result in emotional and behavioural
problems, such as: a child displaying aggressive behaviour to attract negative attention. It is also
said that child suffering Mary Ainsworth, a psychologist, was most famous for her research and
explanations of the differences between attachments. Mary Ainsworth made an assessment called
'Strange Situations Classification;' this was used to investigate how attachments vary. This
assessment was used to observe the variety of attachment forms displayed between mothers and
their child. The assessment is set up in a small room with one way glass so the behaviour of the
infant can be observed. Infants were aged between 12 and 18 months. The sample comprised about
100 middle class American families. The assessment was observed for seven, three minute episodes,
which are: 1) Parent and infant alone. 2) Stranger joins parent and infant. 3) Parent leaves infant and
stranger alone. 4) Parent returns and stranger leaves. 5) Parent leaves; infant left completely alone. 6)
Stranger returns. 7) Parent returns and stranger leaves. During these episodes the child was observed
for: separation anxiety, the infants' willingness to explore, stranger anxiety and

John Bowlby's Attachment Theory Essay
John Bowlby's attachment theory established that an infant's earliest relationship with their primary
caregiver or mother shaped their later development and characterized their human life, "from the
cradle to the grave" (Bowlby, 1979, p. 129). The attachment style that an infant develops with their
parent later reflects on their self–esteem, well–being and the romantic relationships that they form.
Bowlby's attachment theory had extensive research done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the
mother–infant interactions specifically regarding the theme of an infant's exploration of their
surrounding and the separation from their mother in an experiment called the strange situation.
Ainsworth defined the four attachment styles: secure,...show more content...
An infant with a secure attachment style has a natural bond with their parent, where they are able to
trust them, at the same time leaving their side to discover and explore their surroundings. In an
insecure/resistant attachment the relationship the child has with their mother or caregiver is very
clingy, thus making them very upset once the caregiver is away. When the mother or caregiver is
back they are not easily comforted and resist their effort in comforting them. In an insecure/avoidant
attachment the infant is, "indifferent and seems to avoid the mother, they are as easily comforted by
a stranger, as by their parent" (Siegler 2011, p.429). Lastly, the disorganized/disoriented attachment is
another insecure attachment style in which the infant has no way of coping with stress making their
behavior confusing or contradictory. Through these brief descriptions of the attachment theory, many
researchers have defined the turning point in which each attachment definition can have an influence
on one's self esteem, well–being and their marital relationship.
Since the attachment theory provides a fundamental framework of an infant's development from
womb to tomb, this research can be used to characterize specific behavior that a person may develop
from childhood throughout adulthood. In Huis in 't Veld

Introduction John Bowlby developed his Attachment Theory to examine and explore the contextual
relationships between a child and their caregiver and their behavioral repercussions. He describes it
is "a way of conceptualizing the propensity of human beings to make strong affectional bonds to
particular others and of explaining the many forms of emotional distress and personality disturbance,
including anxiety, anger, depression, and emotional detachment, to which unwilling separation and
loss give rise" (Bowlby, 1979, p. 127). An infant's attachment to their primary caregiver establishes a
sense of security, through protection, so the infant is able to explore the world with confidence and
without threat and risk. During a child's...show more content...
Next on the continuum of attachment styles, the insecure–anxious–ambivalent child displays an
extreme reaction of distress to their caregiver's departure and a slight inclination to explore.
(Connors, 2011) Upon the return of their parent or caregiver, this child is not comforted and
physically resists contact. Noted by Ainsworth in her "Strange Situation", this child's "interactive
behaviors are relatively lacking in active initiation" (Ainsworth et al., 1978), meaning the child,
seeking validation, might respond to the return of their parent but this generally includes emotional
outbursts instead of taking an active approach to their parent. The insecure–avoidant pattern of
attachment displays an infant who lacks a secure base and fails to respond to both the departure and
return of their primary caregiver. (Ainsworth et al., 1978), Further, the "Strange Situation" displayed
this child as turning away or "squirming" when contact was reestablished between child and
caregiver (Connors, 2011). Finally, the later addition of the attachment pattern insecure–disorganized
explains children who demonstrate a mixture of attachment behaviors. This child often responds to
their caregiver with opposing actions, such as approach–avoidance, and displays a degree of fear
associated with that caregiver; it is theorized that there is a direct correlation between abused
children and this particular

Attachment Theory Essay

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