Attachment

This week’s blog post is by Remya, our 3rd year rep, on Attachment Styles and theory.

Attachment theory was first described by British psychologist John Bowlby and was described as "lasting psychological connectedness between human beings". He believed the earliest bonds formed between child and caregiver has tremendous impact that continues throughout life and influences how we interact in future relationships. A main theme he found was that children who's caregivers were available and responsive to their needs had a greater sense of security which allowed them to explore.

In the 1970s, Mary Ainsworth expanded on Bowlby's original work with her study "Strange Situation" in which young children were briefly left alone and then reunited with their mothers. Based on the behaviours observed she described 3 styles of attachment. In 1986, Main and Solomon added a fourth attachment style based on their research. These four attachment styles are:

• Secure- Autonomous

• Anxious- Preoccupied

• Avoidant- Dismissing

• Disordered- Unresolved

There are 3 primary underlying dimensions that characterize attachment styles:

• Closeness: The extent to which people feel comfortable being emotionally close and intimate with others

• Dependence/ Avoidance: The extent to which people feel comfortable depending on others and having partners depend on them

• Anxiety: The extent to which people worry their partners will abandon and reject them Attachment theory, whilst it doesn't explain all our interactions, provides us with an understanding of ourselves and those around us.

To find out your attachment style, try this 5 min quiz! https://quiz.attachmentproject.com/

For anyone who this struck a cord with, here are a few handy take-away cards to summarise the key points.