Brief overview of attachment theories

1. Developmental Psychology
Maternal Attachment

2. What are attachments
• Attachment is a deep and enduring emotional bond
that connects one person to another across time and
space (Ainsworth, 1973;Bowlby, 1969).
• Attachments greatly impact social, emotional and
cognitive development.

4. • Attachment is characterized by specific
behaviors in children, such as seeking
proximity with the attachment figure
when upset or threatened.
• Attachment behavior in adults towards the
child includes responding sensitively and
appropriately to the child’s needs.

5. • Attachment theory provides an explanation of
how the parent-child relationship emerges
and influences subsequent development.
Attachment Theory

6. Attachment Theory

7. Learning / Behaviorist Theory of
Attachment (e.g. Dollard & Miller, 1950)
• This theory suggests that attachment is a set of
learned behaviors. The basis for the learning of
attachments is the provision of food. An infant will
initially form an attachment to whoever feeds it.

8. • They associate the feeder (usually the mother)
with the comfort of being fed and through the
process of classical conditioning.
• They also find that certain behaviors (e.g. crying,
smiling) bring desirable responses from and
through the process of operant conditioning learn
to repeat these behaviors in order to get the
things they want.

10. Evolutionary Theory of
Attachment (e.g. Bowlby, Harlow, Lorenz)
• This theory suggests that children come into the
world biologically pre-programmed to form
attachments with others, because this will help them
to survive.

11. • The infant produces innate behaviors such as crying
and smiling that stimulate innate care giving
responses from adults.
• The determinant of attachment is not food but care
and responsiveness.

12. • Bowlby suggested that a child would initially form
only one primary attachment and that the
attachment figure acted as a secure base for
exploring the world.
• The attachment relationship acts as a prototype for
all future social relationships so disrupting it can
have severe consequences.

13. • This theory also suggests that there is a critical
period for developing at attachment (about 0 -5
years).
• If an attachment has not developed during this
period then the child will suffer from irreversible
developmental consequences, such as reduced
intelligence and increased aggression.

14. Why Is Attachment Important?
Early infant-caregiver attachment sets the stage
for the infant’s future intimate and trusting
relationships
Development of ability to regulate emotions
linked to attachment relationship
Child develops a set of beliefs (“Working Model”)

15. Stages of attachment
Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson (1964) studied 60
babies at monthly intervals for the first 18 months of
life.
• The children were all studied in their own home
and a regular pattern was identified in the
development of attachment.
• Evidence for the development of an attachment
was that the baby showed separation
anxiety after a caregiver left.

16. Observations
They discovered that baby's attachments develop in
the following sequence:
• Up to 3 months of age - Indiscriminate attachments.
The newborn is predisposed to attach to any human.
Most babies respond equally to any caregiver.
• After 4 months - Preference for certain people.
Infants they learn to distinguish primary and
secondary caregivers but accept care from
anyone;

17. • After 7 months - Special preference for a single
attachment figure. The baby looks to particular people
for security, comfort and protection. It shows fear of
strangers (stranger fear) and unhappiness when
separated from a special person (separation anxiety).
• After 9 months - Multiple attachments. The baby
becomes increasingly independent and forms several
attachments.

18. Strange Situation Procedure
• Psychologist Mary Ainsworth devised an
assessment technique called the Strange
Situation Classification (SSC) in order to
investigate how attachments might vary
between children

20. Procedure
• (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.

21. • Four categories of behaviors are measured and
observed:
• (1) separation anxiety
• (2) the infant’s willingness to explore,
• (3) stranger anxiety
• (4) reunion behavior.

22. Results
• Ainsworth (1970) identified three main attachment
styles:
• secure,
• insecure avoidant
• and insecure ambivalent.
• A forth attachment style known as disorganized was
later identified (Main, & Solomon, 1990).

23. Secure Attachment
Ambivalent
Attachment
Avoidant Attachment
Separation Anxiety
Distressed when mother
leaves.
Infant shows signs of
intense distress when
mother leaves.
Infant shows no sign of
distress when mother
leaves.
Stranger Anxiety
Avoidant of stranger
when alone but friendly
when mother present.
Infant avoids the
stranger - shows fear of
stranger.
Infant is okay with the
stranger and plays
normally when stranger
is present.
Reunion behavior
Positive and happy
when mother returns.
Child approaches
mother but resists
contact, may even push
her away.
Infant shows little
interest when mother
returns.
Other
Will use the mother as a
safe base to explore
their environment.
Infant cries more and
explores less than the
other 2 types.
Mother and stranger are
able to comfort infant
equally well.
% of infants 70 15 15

24. Strange Situation Conclusion
• Ainsworth & Bell suggested that behavior in the
strange situation classification was determined by
the behavior of the primary carer (in this case the
mother).

25. • Securely attached infant are associated with sensitive
& responsive primary care.
• Insecure ambivalent attached infants are associated
with inconsistent primary care. Sometimes the child’s
needs and met and sometime they are ignored by
the mother.
• Insecure avoidant infants are associated with
unresponsive primary care.

26. Cross Cultural Variations
Country Secure Resistant Avoidant
Israel 62% 33% 5%
Japan 68% 32% Nil
Germany 40% 11% 49%

27. Bowlby's
Attachment
Theory

28. Main Points of Bowlby’s Theory
• A child has an innate need to attach to one main
attachment figure (i.e. monotropy)
• A child should receive the continuous care of this
single most important attachment figure for
approximately the first two years of life.

29. Maternal Deprivation
The long term consequences of maternal deprivation might
include the following:
• delinquency,
• reduced intelligence,
• increased aggression,
• depression,
• affectionless psychopathy

30. • Robertson and Bowlby (1952) believe that short term
separation from an attachment figure leads to
distress.
• They found 3 progressive stages for distress:
• Protest
• Despair
• Detachment

31. • The child’s attachment relationship with their
primary caregiver leads to the development of
an internal working model.