Attachment Theories

What are attachment styles?*
Attachment styles are mental ways of perceiving and handling relationships. During infancy, attachment refers to the psychological connectedness between the parent and child based on how parents meet the child’s needs, an attachment style and way of relating with the parent emerges.
There are four ways in which different attachment styles may be visible in children:
*Secure*
– Result of parents meeting the children’s needs on time, and showing affection and spending time with their baby. Such children use their parents as a “secure base” that is perceived as safe.
– They may become distressed when the parent leaves but are comforted when the parent returns.
*Avoidant*
– Parents do not meet the children’s needs, and are distant or neglectful. Such children appear emotionally distant to their parents to deal with anxiety about unmet needs.
– Children are not distressed when parents leave, and may avoid or ignore parents when they come back.
*Anxious-Resistant*
– Parents meet the children’s needs inconsistently, sometimes meeting and other times neglectful. Children develop the sense that the caregiver is not reliable and are not easily comforted by their parents.
– Children are distressed when parents leave, and are not comforted when parents return; often, they display signs of anger or “punishment” toward parent.
*Disorganized*
– Children have an unstable, erratic relationship with their parent marked by abuse, fear or trauma. Children view their “safe place” as fearful.
– Children show an unstable pattern of attachment, and may show symptoms of depression, behavioural issues, or other pathological behaviour.
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