THE 4 TYPES OF ATTACHMENT, FORMATION AND CONSEQUENCES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2025

The attachment is an intense, unique and maintained over time that develops between two people emotional bond. This bond is generally discussed in the context of a child and her primary caregiver, usually her mother. Its main objective is the search for safety, protection and comfort in the presence of a threat.

Attachment theory was developed by psychologists John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth in the 1960s. According to the observations of these two researchers, there are four types of attachment bonds that can appear between the child and his caregivers: secure, anxious, avoidant and disorganized.

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The creation of one or another type of bond will depend mainly on the behavior shown by the caregiver, although other factors will also influence such as the child's temperament or the circumstances in which both are related. Each of these types of attachment has very different and easily recognizable characteristics.

The type of attachment that a person develops in childhood will largely determine his personality in the future, as well as the type of romantic relationships that he will be able to form during his adult life. In this article we tell you everything there is to know about each of the four types.

The kinds of attachment, how they form and their consequences

-Secure attachment

Secure attachment occurs in children who show some discomfort when their main caregiver leaves them, but who are able to trust him and know that he will eventually return. The little ones who form this type of bond feel protected by their support figure, and they know they can count on them.

Securely attached children tend to have greater self-confidence, and explore their surroundings fearlessly as long as their landmark figure is present. In their adult life, they will be better able to form emotionally healthy relationships and openly trust other people.

How is secure attachment formed?

According to the research of Bowlby and Ainsworth, the most important factor in the formation of secure attachment is the way in which the mother (or the main caregiver) responds to the needs of the child during the first year of life.

If when the child cries or has some kind of problem the mother reacts quickly and goes to take care of him or to try to solve it, it is very likely that a secure bond of attachment will end up. On the contrary, if this does not happen, the most normal thing is that one of the other three types of attachment develops.

Secure attachment in childhood

Various experiments related to attachment theory have revealed the characteristics of this type of bond. The most important is that children who develop it feel worried or angry when their caregiver leaves their sight, but they regain their good humor as soon as they see him again.

On the other hand, these children may be comforted by people other than their primary caregiver (that is, they trust strangers to some degree), but they vastly prefer strangers over any other individual. When a father with a secure attachment makes an approach towards his son, he receives him expressly showing joy.

In addition to this, children trust their caregivers to protect them, so they feel better able to actively explore their environment.

At the time when they feel scared or vulnerable, they are also able to ask their parents for support directly, something that does not happen with other types of attachments.

Consequences in adult life

Children who develop a secure attachment bond with their caregivers tend to become adults with better self-esteem, greater self-confidence, and a generally more positive attitude toward life and toward themselves. These people are capable of forming healthier romantic and friendship relationships than the rest.

Thus, when a securely attached adult enters a loving relationship, they will be able to trust their partner more, feel more satisfied with the situation and feel more attached to the other person without having to be in their presence all the time. These relationships often have characteristics such as honesty, independence, and emotional connection.

In other areas of life, people with secure attachment also tend to have an easier time facing any type of challenge, due to their higher self-esteem.

-Anxious attachment

Anxious attachment occurs when the primary caregiver is not available (either physically or emotionally) to take care of the child's needs.

Due to this, the little one develops a pattern of behavior in which he wants contact with his reference figure, but at the same time does not trust that this situation will occur.

According to research, only about 10% of the population would have an anxious attachment pattern. However, this figure would vary depending on factors such as the country or the time in which the studies are carried out.

The consequences of developing this type of attachment are quite negative, and generally remain in adult life.

How is anxious attachment formed?

Children who develop this type of bond with their caregivers tend to have parents who, for whatever reason, have not shown them adequate support.

This can happen in two ways: either they have not responded to your needs (for example, they ignore you when you cry), or they have interfered with your exploration and independence search behaviors.

Thus, children with anxious attachment quickly learn that they cannot count on the support of their mother or primary caregiver, but they also do not feel capable of fending for themselves. This causes all kinds of problems both in childhood and during the person's adult life.

Anxious attachment in childhood

Unlike in the case of securely attached children, those with an anxious bond do not trust strangers at all. In fact, they show great discomfort when left in the presence of someone unknown; but they are not totally comfortable with their parents either.

Thus, when their caregivers move away from them, these children try to avoid it by all possible means (such as crying or even attacking them) and they are very upset. However, when parents return, they are generally still heartbroken and very difficult to calm down.

In addition to this, generally when the parents return, the children try to get away from them, as if they were angry. On the other hand, they show fewer exploratory behaviors, are less sociable, and in general show signs of having worse self-esteem than those with secure attachment.

Consequences in adult life

Children with anxious attachment often continue to exhibit these characteristics in their adult relationships. Thus, it is difficult for them to trust other people, but at the same time they need them and feel that they cannot be well if they do not have the support of someone else.

Generally, this implies that they enter into toxic relationships in which they are very dependent. They are very afraid that the other will leave them and they cling to him with all their strength, at the same time they show angry or even aggressive behaviors when they perceive that they have been sidelined. This also occurs in friendly relationships.

In other areas of their life, these people show lower self-esteem, difficulty making their own decisions, and a higher level of fear than those with secure attachment.

-Avoid attachment

Avoidant attachment, like anxious attachment, also occurs when caregivers do not respond adequately to the child's needs. However, those who develop this pattern in their relationships show totally different coping strategies.

Thus, these children learn that they have to fend for themselves, and therefore do not develop such a strong bond with their caregivers.

However, this brings them many problems both in childhood and in adult life. It is believed that approximately 10% of the population shows this pattern of attachment.

How is avoidant attachment formed?

According to research, this attachment bond develops when a child's attempts to create a deeper relationship with their caregivers are ignored by them. Thus, the little one feels that his needs are not going to be covered by his parents, and he learns not to trust them or others.

This pattern can also form when the caregiver uses the child to try to meet his own needs. For example, if the mother is lonely and uses her child for company, the child may feel overwhelmed and try to avoid making emotional connections with other people.

Avoidant attachment in childhood

Children with an avoidant pattern show no discomfort when their caregivers leave them, or joy or anger when they return.

Furthermore, they also do not show any preference between their parents and any strangers, being generally quite sociable and capable of exploring on their own.

However, studies with these children have revealed that they do feel discomfort, but that they hide it. For example, their heart rate is higher than that of securely attached toddlers, and their physiology indicates higher levels of stress.

Consequences in adult life

Children with avoidant attachment grow into adults who say they want intimate relationships, but who at the same time highly value their independence and feel unable to create lasting bonds with others. By not trusting others, they will approach them but will walk away as soon as there are any signs of trouble.

These people generally have very superficial relationships, feeling overwhelmed when others act as if they need them.

It is common for them to avoid romantic relationships and focus on casual sex, although sometimes they express their discontent for not having a more stable romantic partner.

In all other areas of their lives, these individuals often learn to fend for themselves and achieve many of their goals. However, they also have higher levels of anxiety and tend to have quite low self-esteem, being dominated by fear on many occasions.

-Disorganized attachment

At first, Bowlby and Ainsworth only discussed three types of attachment; But they soon realized that not all children fit perfectly into one of these classifications.

Subsequent research (both his and other psychologists) showed that there was a fourth relationship pattern that occurred regularly.

Although not as common as the other three types, disorganized attachment also tends to occur relatively frequently. It is characterized by being a mixture of the avoidant and anxious styles, showing children with this type of attachment typical behaviors of both.

How is disorganized attachment formed?

It is not very clear what leads a child to develop this type of attachment as opposed to one of the previous two. However, it is known that, like the avoidant and anxious, this pattern appears when caregivers are not able to respond adequately to the child's needs.

Thus, the little one learns that he cannot take care of himself and that he needs his parents; but at the same time, he also develops a certain independence from them and tries to ignore them. Both types of behavior alternate throughout his life.

Disorganized attachment in childhood?

Children with disorganized attachment display a mixture of anxious and avoidant behaviors in the presence of their caregivers and strangers. Sometimes they will feel very stressed when their parents are away; but others will not show any angry or fearful behavior when this occurs.

In the same way, at times they will feel insecure and unable to explore even with their close attachment figures, and at others they will act totally independently. Your relationship with strangers will follow a similar pattern.

Consequences in adult life

Adults who showed a disorganized attachment pattern in childhood tend to need deep and romantic relationships, but are also afraid of these situations. Thus, they will quickly go from seeking intimacy with another person to being overwhelmed and avoiding any type of emotional connection.

Because of this, their behavior with others is often very confusing to other people. In general, people with disorganized attachment quickly move from one "serious" relationship to another, feeling great discomfort both when they are single and when they are in a relationship.

In other areas of life, these individuals usually try to go for what they want but feel great insecurity at all times. It is possibly the most damaging attachment style of all.

References

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3. "The Story of Bowlby, Ainsworth, and Attachment Theory" in: VeryWell Mind. Retrieved on: January 03, 2019 from VeryWell Mind: verywellmind.com.
4. "Attachment theory" in: Psychologist World. Retrieved on: January 03, 2019 from Psychologist World: psychologistworld.com.
5. "Attachment theory" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: January 03, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.