Relationships and bonds that are long-term between individuals are the focal point of

attachment theory. It’s a mental structure for beginning to understand what brings people in
relationships together. (MSEd, 2023)

There are three types of attachment styles discussed in this paper, these include; secure,
avoidant, and ambivalent. Using the styles, this paper will explain how they each influence
the development of psychopathology.

Secure attachment is by far the most prevalent style discovered in western societies.
Individuals that have created this type of attachment are self-satisfied, social, relatable and
easy to approach. They are very aware off, and have the ability to articulate, the various
emotions that they experience. These individuals also have great potential to develop
relationships that are significant to them as well as long-term. In regards to adult hood, these
types of individuals can maintain secure attachments to the extent that it reaches into their
professional lives. In terms of childhood, parents/caregivers who desire to bring up their
children to have secure attachments will benefit from overcoming their own attachment
issues, if they are in existence. (The Attachment Project, 2020)

Adolescents who have a strong sense of attachment to a guardian have a very positive image
of the world and its inhabitants. However, children who have a secure relationship to an adult
that cares for them from the ability to take care of their own emotions and thoughts in
stressful situations. Moreover, adolescence that are securely connected show signs of
behavioral skills that create a balance between the need for intimacy as well as independence.
The beginning signs that indicate that a child is forming an attachment style that is secure
includes; parents/guardians coming home is met with enthusiasm, the child is easily able to
communicate as well as work with others. The child can comfortably try out and even play in
environments that are not familiar to them, and lastly, they prefer their parents over new
people when they look for comfort. It is imperative to understand that secure attachment style
is formed in the way and individual is attached to the person taking care of them as a child.
The caretaker/parent create a standard of how children shape how they relate to others as an
adult. This can be articulated in the way individuals have expectations from their
relationships the same way they did with their parents as a youth. (Jan, 2022)

With the information of how secure attachment style is formed is seen in adolescence, it is
prevalent that this secure attachment style has a positive effect on mental health. It becomes
obvious as these types of individuals have stable, healthy upbringings which help them to
form healthy coping mechanisms in order to deal with stressful, emotionally charged
situations. In light of this substantial information, individuals who show signs of secure
attachment patterns represent effective emotion regulation abilities, create advantageous self
and interpersonal representations as well as exhibit positive opinions of their mental health.
(Vismara et al., 2022)

In regard to the second style being discussed, avoidant attachment style. This type of style
refers to a particular type of attachment that arises in children when their primary caregivers
are unable to meet their emotional requirements. The parent/guardian has the potential to
neglect or deny the child’s efforts to want comfort during periods of distress. This type of
attachment style is categorized as an insecure attachment pattern. An adolescent with this
type of style demonstrates tendencies swaying more towards independence and the need to
rely on themselves. These types of people wield the ability to then from needing dependence
on their caregivers and thus, create a psychological detachment. People who have an avoidant
attachment style exhibit and especially significant issue in putting trust towards others. As for
adulthood, individuals tend to have a lot of hesitancy in regard to close relationships with
others. They have a notable challenge regarding displays of vulnerability or creating intimate
connections. (MBA, 2022)

In regard to children exhibiting avoidant attachment style and the point of its origin, children
may show a lack off over at manifestation of a need for proximity, tenderness or even desire
for affection. Moreover, on an interpersonal plane, the child may feel stress and express their
reactions as they have developed a stable bond when introduced to difficult conditions.
Furthermore, these adolescents will want to experience proximity to their parents while
wanting limited interaction. Thus, it is likely for these individuals to exhibit an aversion to
physical contact with their caretaker/parent. In shaping an adolescent to form an avoidant
attachment style results in an adult’s experiencing avoidance to emotional intimacy in regard
to relationships, with partners who need emotional intimacy, withdrawing as well as coping
in difficult situations independently thus, concealing their emotions. These type of
individuals in adulthood avoid complaining, prefer to brood or rather pass hints on a
situation. Furthermore, they prefer to forget bad memories and avoiding unpleasant
situations. These individuals in their adult hood have good independence, high self-esteem
and negatively view others who choose to prioritize themselves. (Smith, 2020)
This type of attachment style damages the mental well-being of an individual from childhood
extending right into adult hood. This is prevalent in light of the way the primary caregiver of
an individual extends their negative mental well-being onto the child which will lead them to
extend it into their adult hood thus creating a vicious cycle. This may result in the
psychopathology of avoidant personality disorder and lack of social contact as well as
anxiety. Although they do want social contact but is scared of rejection. (Avoidant
Personality Disorder- an overview I Science Direct Topic, n.d.)

Love and affection that is inconsistent as well as attention from caregivers or parents might
possibly cause long-term problems for a baby that is it a newborn as well as children. We
articulate it as an ambivalent attachment style or anxious ambivalent attachment style. This
may include anxious ambivalent attachment. When an individual that is a parent is
inconsistent in this way, a child may not be able to comprehend why affection is given or
taken away so easily. This creates fear and confusion since they are unable to tell if they are
going to be loved or rather ignored. This causes them to feel strange in their environment
which in turn causes them to become insecurely attached. And regards to adolescence,
children that have anxious ambivalent attachments start to believe that affection and
tenderness are ephemeral and erratic as adults. Trauma caused during childhood could
possibly stop individuals from bonding towards their caregiver or parent figure, thus making
them apprehensive, hesitant as well as shy as adults. In regard to romantic relationships. They
could possibly start to grieve, alienate themselves from emotions regarding their parents, or
are apprehensive to physical contact. (What Is Ambivalent Attachment and How Does It
Affect Me? | BetterHelp, n.d.)

Individuals who adopt an anxious ambivalent attachment style have an increased probability
of developing mental health issues such as depression, low self-esteem, and emotional
dysregulation. In town the risk has been raised due to the fact that the nature of the anxious
ambivalent attachment and regard to inconsistent affection individuals receive as children.
Furthermore, this causes apprehensiveness and the individuals as well as hesitance and result
in an adult hood with low confidence. (Anxious Ambivalent Attachment: An Overview, n.d.)

Great fear, which is commonly the result of childhood trauma, abuse or even the root cause of
a disorganized and disoriented attachment. The style of attachment is also called a fearful
avoidant attachment. In regard to adult hood, individuals who have this type of attachment
tend to believe that they are unworthy of love or intimacy and their loves lives. This type of
attachment style has challenges in regard to intimacy. The individual is keen on their freedom
to the extent that intimacy in a romantic relationship feels claustrophobic. They tend to take
care of themselves and withdraw as a spouse creates intimacy in a relationship. Furthermore,
they struggle with their emotional intelligence in regard to their partners and become cold and
intolerant. They use clinginess as an excuse to create space. There are selfish with their
feelings and tend to abandon relationships easily, in short, they have intimacy anxiety. (How
Attachment Styles Affect Adult Relationships - HelpGuide.org, n.d.)

In regard to this type of attachment style, high anxiety is of great experience as these types of
individuals have experience emotional abuse or instability. These types of people to not have
the general knowledge or even structure and may find themselves being impulsive. Although
they seek a secure organize life, it is instilled in them to live and crate a disorganized chaotic
environment leaving them in a vicious cycle. Although it is similar to an avoidant style
attachment the mental challenges that arise include anxiety and depression, unpredictable
patterns of behavior, low self-esteem and lack of confidence and lastly on result childhood
trauma that extend into intimate and romantic relationships. (Saxena, 2022)

In conclusion, attachment styles promote a great deal to psychopathology. Whilst secure

attachment style can be seen as protecting psychological health, and avoidant, ambivalent as
well as disorganized attachment styles seem to post a great risk to mental health, it is
imperative that understanding the different types of attachment styles gives correct
information to therapy in regard to the approaches that should be used to promote a healthy
attachment style such as a secure attachment style and up solving the issues of any styles that
pose a risk to an individual’s mental health.