What is Attachment Theory?

From a very early age, people feel a strong connection with their caregivers (Adsuara, 2020). However, these connections do not always lead to adequate relationships between the baby and its caregiver. For example, in parks one can find great differences between the relationships that each child has with their parents. In accordance with Adsuara (2020), this bond that babies develop from the moment they are born toward their caregivers is what is known as attachment.

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What is Attachment Theory?

The British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby was the first to describe attachment as a deep and lasting emotional bond that connects one individual with another across space and time (Torres, 2019). Attachment, as both a bond and behavior, is innate, instinctive, and biological (Eyras, 2007). In the same vein, John Bowlby proposed a relational conception of human beings; that is, children come into the world ready to establish a close connection with their caregivers (Galán, 2010). For this reason, according to Persano (2018), the importance of the environment in psychic organization and the impact of emotional separation on the psychological development of babies is assumed.

The central axis of attachment theory lies in the reciprocity of early relationships, which is the condition for the normal development of all primates, including humans (Persano, 2018). This theory is a way to understand the tendency of human beings to form emotional bonds with specific people and to explain mood and personality disorders—which include anxiety, anger, frustration, and depression—that lead to involuntary separation and the loss of loved ones (Eyras, 2007). Likewise, this is a theory about the importance of attachment in the psychological structure of infants in their emotional development, in gaining security, trust, and comfort (Persano, 2018). According to Eyras (2007), it implies that human beings have a tendency to establish an intimate emotional connection with certain people, which is considered a basic part of human nature that exists from the moment a baby is born and continues throughout the life cycle.

This search for proximity on the part of the child is the result of a series of activities of the behavioral system, in which the child tries to stay close to the attachment figure (Eyras, 2007). These connections are established with the caregivers of childhood, to whom the child usually turns for protection, comfort, and support. In the course of evolution, people will establish, through attachment behavior, affective bonds—first between the infant and the adult and then among adults. However, although the connections still exist in adolescence and adulthood, they are complemented with new bonds. For this reason, in accordance with Eyras (2007), it is said that attachment behavior is stable and flexible, since, during the life cycle, other new bonds are formed that are as important as those initial ones.

Attachment Figure

At the base of this concept is the notion of the role of father or mother, which does not refer to the specific figure because if, for some reason, they are absent, whoever performs this role would be the person who fulfills the function of the attachment figure (Eyras, 2007). This concept is defined as the person who can satisfy the infant’s needs (Persano, 2018). Availability is not temporary, since the attachment figure must be emotionally available and must have an empathetic response to the child at all times (Persano, 2018). This is because, according to Cobo (2020), the behavior of the attachment figure gives rise to the different patterns or styles of attachment that will accompany the child throughout life, thereby generating differences in the way individuals behave and relate to themselves and their environment.

On the other hand, it is important to emphasize the importance of children staying close to an attachment figure, since they feel more comfortable and protected and, therefore, are more likely to survive into adulthood (Torres, 2019). Consequently, according to Persano (2018), for personality development it is fundamental that the child has a significant attachment figure in the early years.

Secure Base

The attachment figure is the person who performs the role, and the secure base is the function; for example, an organization can be a secure base, but not an attachment figure (Eyras, 2007). Providing a secure base for children and young people is the key for them to venture into the outside world, have confidence in the process, and become more emotionally stable. According to Eyras (2007), if people believe that they have someone they can trust when there is a problem or with whom they can share their happy moments, then they will develop better regardless of their age.

There are two main factors that must be present for people to attach to a secure base: internal and external factors or those from the environment (Eyras, 2007). The first factor is the child’s ability to recognize whether another individual is worthy of their trust. The second involves the availability of the trustworthy person, willing to provide the secure base required for each stage of the evolutionary cycle. The two channels of exchange—the external and the internal—work in a circular and complex interaction. The secure base signifies continuity of potential support, since the relationship between the subjects lasts many years. Likewise, in the course of healthy functioning, the person tends to identify the appropriate figures who can provide a secure base and develop the capacity for cooperation, leading to rewarding interactions. In short, according to Eyras (2007), the basic function of the secure base is to provide protection, trust, and security.

Attachment Behavior

Attachment behavior is understood as any form of behavior that causes a person to make contact with or remain close to another distinct and preferably individual person who is generally considered stronger and wiser (Eyras, 2007). In short, attachment behavior comprises all the behaviors exhibited by the baby that allow it to stay close to the attachment figure from birth (Cobo, 2020). As long as the attachment figure remains accessible and responsive, this behavior may include a visual or auditory inspection of their location, as well as occasional exchanges of glances and greetings (Eyras, 2007). However, according to Eyras (2007), in some cases there is also clinginess to the attachment figure, as well as a tendency to call out or cry—behaviors that typically prompt the attachment figure to provide the necessary care to the child.

This bond is permanent, as it is maintained over time; while the various attachment behaviors that constitute it are only active when needed (Eyras, 2007). For example, according to Eyras (2007), when it is said that exploratory behavior is activated when attachment decreases, it means that a secure attachment is necessary for exploratory behavior to exist, since attachment behavior is activated at a specific time and in a specific space, where the child feels safe enough to explore and temporarily forget about the caregiver.

Attachment behavior will be activated whenever something strange or unexpected happens to the child, such as a sudden separation from the attachment figure, a threatening noise, among others (Eyras, 2007). It is also activated by internal factors such as fatigue, hunger, any illness, among others, and only deactivates under certain circumstances when the child is in a familiar environment and has the possibility of relying on the attachment figure and its response (Eyras, 2007). When these attachment behaviors are activated and the attachment figure is not there to meet the child’s needs, an anxiety response may be triggered (Cobo, 2020). However, Cobo (2020) mentions that if the opposite occurs, a mild response from the infant could indicate that they have previously been subjected to situations of absence, either due to threats of abandonment or denial of care.

Maternal Sensitivity

Regarding maternal sensitivity, it is assumed that the signal sent by the child is correctly decoded; this means that the caregiver can understand what is happening with the child and is capable of meeting their needs (Eyras, 2007). In short, maternal sensitivity is understood as the caregiver’s ability to become aware of, interpret, and adequately respond to the child’s needs (Cobo, 2020). If the caregiver does not attend to the child, the child will fall into a state of disappointment, which is manifested by a drop in emotional tone (Persano, 2018). The caregiver’s sensitive reaction is the best predictor of attachment security in the first year of life (Eyras, 2007). Likewise, distance and attitudes of rejection toward children, especially in terms of physical contact, are predictors of patterns of avoidant behavior. According to Eyras (2007), it is important to stress the importance of social interaction in strengthening the interaction between children and attachment figures.

References

1. Adsuara, G. (2020). Teoría del APEGO: Tipos y Desarrollo. psicologia-online.com. Recuperado 19 July 2021, a partir de https://www.psicologia-online.com/teoria-del-apego-tipos-y-desarrollo-4875.html

2. Cobo, M. (2020). TEORÍA DEL APEGO: CÓMO SE FORMA EL ADULTO EMOCIONAL. Repositorio.unican.es. Recuperado 19 July 2021, a partir de https://repositorio.unican.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10902/19899/COBO%20GARCIA%2C%20MARIA.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

3. Corbin, J. La Teoría del Apego y el vínculo entre padres e hijos. Psicologiaymente.com. Recuperado 19 July 2021, a partir de https://psicologiaymente.com/desarrollo/teoria-apego-padres-hijos

4. Eyras, M. (2007). La Teoría del Apego: Fundamentos y Articulaciones de un Modelo Integrador. Obtenido 14 Octubre 2020, de http://magix.ucu.edu.uy:8086/opac9/doctesis/psicologia/54287.pdf

5. Galán, A. (2010). Obtenido 14 Octubre 2020, de https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/2650/265019471003.pdf Persano, H. (2018). La Teoría del Apego. Obtenido 14 Octubre 2020, de https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338825868_La_Teoria_del_Apego

6. Torres, N. (2019). ¿En qué consiste la Teorí­a del Apego?. Obtenido 14 Octubre 2020, de https://www.psicoactiva.com/blog/consiste-la-teoria-del-apego/