THE ATTACHMENT THEORY

The Attachment theory by the development psychologist Mary Ainsworth. She designed the strange situation procedure to observe early emotional attachment between a child and its primary caregiver. Her theory on attachment and the affective bond that is established between mother and child constitutes one of the most solid theoretical approaches in the field of socio-emotional development. His observational study of the Ganda in Uganda collected and analysed differences in the quality of mother-child interaction and its influence on attachment formation, which revealed the importance of the mother’s sensitivity to the child’s requests.

THEORY PATTERNS

Ainsworth established three main attachment patterns:

• Children of secure attachment, they cried little and were happy in the presence of the mother
• Children of insecure attachment, cried frequently, even in the arms of their mothers
• And Children who seemed did not show attachment or differential behaviours towards their mothers

During the experiment, the mother and the child were introduced into a game room in which a stranger was incorporated. The mother would leave the room while the child played with the strange person. The mother would return and go out again, this time with the stranger, leaving the child completely alone. Finally the mother and the unknown person returned.

It turned out that the children explored and played more in the presence of their mother than with the stranger, and especially when the mother went out. The experiment of the attachment theory showed that for the mother child it was a safe base for exploration. When faced with the perception of threat, she activated attachment behaviours and exploratory behaviours disappeared.

Mary Ainsworth found clear individual differences that allowed her to describe three behaviour patterns that were representative of the attachment theory patterns:

Secure Attachment

• Children of secure attachment, they used their mother as a base from which they began to explore. When the mother left, they were clearly affected, their exploratory behaviour decreased. Upon their return they were happy, they approached looking for physical contact for a few moments and continued their exploratory behaviour.
  Ainsworth rated these mothers as very sensitive and responsive to baby calls, their children crying little at home and using their mother as a safe base to explore. According to Ainsworth, these children showed a healthy pattern in their attachment behaviours with a strong need for their closeness. The daily responsiveness of their mothers gave them protection, so their very presence encouraged them to explore their surroundings.

Anxious-Avoidant Insecure Attachment

• Children with anxious-avoidant insecure attachment, who were quite independent, from the first moment began to explore and inspect toys, without using their mother as a secure base, ignoring their mother. When the mother left the room they neither seemed affected nor did they seek to physically approach and contact when she returned. Even if the mother sought contact, it was rejected.
  Although their independent behaviour might appear healthy at first, Ainsworth sensed that these were children with emotional difficulties and their detachment was similar to that shown by children who had experienced painful separations.
  Her observations in her home supported the theory attachment, as the mothers had been insensitive and reluctant to their children’s requests. The children were insecure, and even very concerned about the proximity of her mother, crying intensely when she left the room. Ainsworth’s conclusion was that when these children entered the stranger’s situation they understood that they could not count on the support of their mother, since they had suffered many rejections in the past and reacted defensively, adopting a position of indifference, denying their need for their mother to avoid frustrations.

Anxious-Resistant Insecure Attachment

• Children with anxious-resistant insecure attachments were so concerned about the whereabouts of their mothers that they did not dare to explore and passed it by when she left the room, and upon her return they were ambivalent. They debated between irritation, resistance to contact, approach, and contact-keeping behaviours. In their homes, the mothers had acted inconsistently, being sensitive and warm at times and cold and insensitive at others.
  These inconsistencies in the mother’s way of acting had led the child to insecurity about the availability of her mother when she needed her to have the contradictory behaviour of her mother.

Disorganised/Disoriented

• The three patterns were described by Ainsworth in the attachment theory, have been those considered in most of the attachment researches, although recently the existence of a fourth type called disorganised / disoriented insecure has been proposed, and it contains many of the characteristics of the anxious-avoidant and resistant insecure attachment groups. They are children who show the greatest insecurity. When reunited with their mother after separation, these children display a variety of confusing and contradictory behaviours. For example, looking away while the mother takes them, or with a monotonous and sad expression. Most communicate their disorientation with an expression of confusion. Some cry unexpectedly after being calm, or adopt strange, rigid postures or stereotypical movements.