DEVDEEP ROY CHOWDHURY, M.Sc, M.

Phil
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
 Attachment is a disposition to seek proximity to particular others for security in
times of stress.
 According to Bowlby (1958) attachment is an emotional tie that an infant constructs
and elaborates with his/her primary caregiver in the context of everyday
interactions. The bond is specific i.e., it is directed towards a particular individual;
it is also long-lasting and ties the individuals together across contexts.
 Attachment theory states that children over time internalize experiences with
caretakers in such a way that early attachment relations come to form a prototype
for later relationships outside the family.
 Attachment styles in relation to others fall into two general categories, Secure and
Insecure. They are determined on the basis of two further dimensions, anxiety
and avoidance.
 Secured individuals are low in terms of both attachment related anxiety and
avoidance, are comfortable with intimacy, willing to rely on others for support,
confident that others value them, have positive conceptions of self and others, and
describe their parents as caring, non-punitive, and low in control, allowing for the
development of an autonomous self.
 Insecure individuals are high on anxiety and avoidance, uncomfortable being
close to others and dependent on them, excessively preoccupied with and fearful
of abandonment, and have negative models of self and others. They describe their
parents as absent, neglectful or punitive, and high in control.
In 1995, Mary Main summarized the following principles of attachment
 The earliest attachments are usually formed by the age of seven months.
 Nearly all infants become attached.
 Attachments are formed to only a few persons.
 These ‘selective attachments’ appear to be derived from social interactions with the
attachment figures.
 They lead to specific organizational changes in an infant’s behavior and brain function.
John Bowlby proposed four phases in the development of attachment in infants.
A. Orientation and signals with limited discrimination of figures. Infants show
discrimination of their mother’s voice and scent but do not exhibit a clear
preference for any particular caregiver. Thus the infant’s response to all the
caregivers are similar.
B. Orientation and signals towards one or more discriminated figures. The
infants experience patterns of interaction and care from the caregivers.
Repeated exposure to patterns of care leads to familiarity with those figures. This
familiarity leads to preference. The infant here continues to be friendly and open
but responds differently to the caregiver.
C. Maintenance of proximity to a discriminated figure by means of
locomotion as well as signals. This phase begins after locomotion develops.
Not only does the infant orient and signal towards the main caregiver but in
addition is active in approaching and maintaining proximity by crawling or
walking. He can maintain proximity and contact whenever the situation requires
it. Strangers now are treated with caution and attachment figures are clearly
preferred. The foundation of what Bowlby called ‘a secured base’ are now in
place.
D. Formation of a goal-corrected partnership. Here interactions with the mother
and observation of maternal behavior help the child to conceive her mother as
an individual with her own set of goals. Accordingly at around 3 years of age, the
child modifies her behavior and expectations based on those of her attachment
figures.
 Although all infants form attachment to their caregivers, not all attachment
relationships are same.
 Mary Ainsworth pioneered the study of individual differences in attachment
 She brought infant-mother dyads to the lab and conducted strange situation
procedure. It consists of 8 episodes.
 Episode 1 (30 seconds): Infant and the mother brought into the room with toys and
two chairs by a research associate.
 Episode 2 (3 mins): It begins when the associate leaves the room. The mother and
the infant stays in the room and the infant plays with the toys. The mother is
instructed to be responsive, if the infant initiates interaction.
 Episode 3 (3 mins): A stranger walks in. Initially she remains silent for a minute.
Then she talks to the mother and after another minute she talks and plays with the
infant.
 Episode 4 (3 mins): This is the first separation episode. The mother leaves and the
infant remains with the stranger. If the infant is too upset the episode is cut short.
 Episode 5 (3 mins): This is the first reunion episode where the mother comes back
in the room and the stranger leaves.
 Episode 6 (3 mins): During the second separation episode the mother leaves and
the infant stays alone. Again if the infant is too upset the episode is cut short.
 Episode 7 (3 mins): In this stage the stranger returns. If the infant continues to be
upset the episode is cut short and the mother comes back into the room.
 Episode 8 (3 mins): This is the second reunion episode. Here the mother returns
and the stranger leaves.
After careful examination of the infants’ behaviors during the procedure, Ainsworth
categorized them into 3 major groups in terms of security, when using the mother as a
secure base. They are as follows
Group B (Secured) infants are able to use their mothers as a secured base for
exploration in a novel room. If distressed during separation, they seek proximity and
contact with the mother during reunion, and contact is effective in promptly reducing
stress. If not openly distressed by separation, the baby responds to the mother with
active greeting and interaction during reunion. Although they become affiliated with
the stranger, they are clearly more interested in contact and interaction with the mother.
Group A (Anxious Avoidant) infants exhibit little affective sharing with the mother and
readily separate to explore toys. They treat the stranger much as they treat their mother.
They show active avoidance of proximity to and contact with their mother in the reunion
episodes. They tend to ignore their mothers or greet them casually. During separation
they are typically not distressed, and show little or no stranger avoidance.
Group C (Anxious Resistant) infants express poverty of exploration even in pre-
separation episodes. They are likely to be very distressed upon separation and are
not easily calmed by the stranger. Upon reunion, these babies are not easily
calmed by the mother’s return. They show proximity seeking and contact mixed
with resistance (e.g., hitting mother, rejecting toys), or they may continue to cry and
fuss.
 It provides a buffer against psychological distress associated with major life
stressors.
 It leads to the development of adaptive coping strategies.
 Fosters more independent orientation in relationships.
 Helps individuals to sustain long-term relationships with others.
 Provides a trusting outlook towards the world and others in general, thus furthering
positive mental health.
 Provides buffer against separation anxiety and depression.