ATTACHMENT THEORY
PSYCH 4040: Developmental Psychology
Social and Emotional Development
Nicole Lim
Your thoughts?
 What are some needs that are important to a baby?
 In a group, discuss & rank
Our Goals for Today
 Identify key stages and components of Bowlby’s
Attachment Theory
 Distinguish between the categories in Ainsworth’s
Attachment theory
Characteristics
 Measurements
 Implications

 Ability to apply what we learn
Defining Attachment
 Enduring emotional bond that exists between a
child and significant people in the child’s life
 “Lasting psychological connectedness between
human beings” - Bowlby
 “Affectional tie that one person or animal forms
between himself and another specific one – a tie
that binds them together in space and endures over
time” - Ainsworth
Bowlby’s
Four Phases of Attachment
1.
2.
Preattachment phase
(birth - 6 weeks)
•
Do not discriminate amongst people around them
Attachment-in-the-making
(6 weeks - 6-8 months)
•
Infants prefer familiar people
Bowlby’s
Four Phases of Attachment
3. Clear-cut attachment
(6-8 months - 1½-2 years)
•
Infants actively seek contact with familiar
individuals
•
Separation Anxiety
4. Reciprocal relationships
(1½-2 years +)
•
Working partnerships with caregivers
Bowlby’s
Four Key Components of Attachment
 Proximity Maintenance
 Safe Haven
 Secure Base
 Separation Distress
Video: Identify the Components!
 baby scared of vacuum
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWJzWl3k45E
 Proximity Maintenance
 Safe Haven
 Secure Base
 Separation Distress
Evaluating Attachment
Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation” Procedure
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mom & child play
Stranger enters
1st Separation – Mom leaves
1st Reunion – Mom returns
2nd Separation – Mom leaves
2nd Reunion – Mom returns
• 2nd Reunion – Mom returns
Attachment Categories
Secure (65%)




Caregiver = secure base
Seeks contact
Comforted by mother
Greets mother happily after separation
Ambivalent/Resistant (15%)



Extreme distress during separation
Won’t be comforted upon caregiver’s return
Expresses anger at caregiver
Attachment Categories
Insecure/avoidant (20%)


Little distress during separations
Avoids contact with mother upon return
Disorganized Attachment (<5%)


Inconsistent behaviors
Often appear dazed or disoriented
Video: Attachment Categories
Secure, Insecure, Avoidant & Ambivalent
Attachment in Mothers & Babies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH1m_ZMO
7GU
Let’s discuss
 In what ways can Attachment theory be applied
to your interest/field?
 Review the list you created for “what’s important
to babies”, are there any changes to your
rankings?