Attachment Theory Essay

Attachment is an emotional bond between two people that is a two way process (Sigelman & Rider, 2012). Attachment also exists in relationships and starts early during the infancy period between the child and the caregiver. The strength of the bond at the early stage helps to determine how well interactions and relationships are formed with others, as the child grew and developed. The attachment theory introduced different types of attachment, such as the secure, insecure-resistant, insecure-avoidant and insecure-disorganized styles, which can help to identify the bond between a caregiver and an infant, and its effects on relationships later in life (Benoit, 2004).
Mary Ainsworth introduced different attachment styles, by conducting a strange
The secure attachment was found to be the most beneficial in the development of the child and its interactions later in life, as it was described to be a strong attachment to the caregiver (Sigelman & Rider, 2012). A secure attachment was demonstrated by the child’s ability to trust strangers, to explore and appearing to be happy when reunited back with the caregiver. It was found by (Main & Cassidy, 1988) that children in secure attachment with their caregivers were confident that their needs would be meet because the attachment figures were sensitive, responsive and organized. As the child developed from infancy to adolescence, researches shows that having a loving caregiver and secure attachment with the figure, acts as a protective factor against social and emotional instability for infants and children (Benoit, 2004). Further studies involving 144 dating couples helped to reinstate that the secure attachment style introduced in the early stages of development, contributed with greater romantic relationship interdependence, commitment, trust, and satisfaction compared to the other attachment styles (Simpson,
Research has suggested that this attachment style might be a result of abusive or negligent caregivers, causing the infant to create distance from their attachment figure, while also denying their need for care or any expression of emotional needs (Cherry, 2006). As these children progressed to school, a study conducted using Ainsworth’s strange situation experiment, discovered that class teachers found avoidant-attachment style children to be tough to handle and that they displayed poor social interactions with their peers compared to the children from secure attachment with their caregivers (Fagot & Kavanagh, 1990). Such children suffered social interaction problems in adolescence and adulthood because of emotional withdrawal and comprehensively not appearing friendly compared to those from secured attachment with their caregivers (Sigelman & Rider, 2012). In adulthood, avoidant-attachment individuals were found to develop defensive strategies to distance themselves from others and to maintain positive self-beliefs while also regulating negative emotions (Edelstein & Shaver, 2004). This was found to eventually avert them from forming bonds or intimacy with another person (Edelstein & Shaver,