Attachment
Attachment is the strong, selective bond an infant forms with the small number of adults who care for it, and Bowlby's claim was that this bond is a biological system rather than a by-product of being fed. An infant separated from its caregiver protests, then despairs, then detaches, in a sequence Bowlby argued had been shaped by natural selection because staying near a protector kept infants alive. Mary Ainsworth turned the idea into a measurement by watching how one-year-olds behaved when a caregiver left the room and returned, and classified the patterns as secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant; a disorganised category was added later. The patterns are reliably observable, though how strongly they predict adult relationships is still argued over.
Why it matters
It replaced the assumption that infants bond with whoever feeds them, and it reshaped hospital, adoption, and childcare practice around keeping infants with consistent caregivers.
Also written: attachment theory, secure attachment, attachment style
Where it comes up
Read about Attachment on Wikipedia
Sources
- Attachment theory Wikipedia
- Strange situation WikipediaAinsworth's procedure, which is what turned attachment from a theory into something measurable.
- Attachment in children Wikipedia
