3.2 Types of Attachment Flashcards
What is the strange situation?
A controlled observation designed to test attachment security
What are the 3 types of attachment?
- Secure attachment
- Insecure-avoidant attachment
- Insecure-resistant attachment
What is secure attachment?
The most desirable attachment type, associated with psychologically healthy outcomes
Describe the features of a secure attachment
- Moderate stranger and separation anxiety
- Ease of comfort at reunion
What is insecure-avoidant attachment?
An attachment type characterized by low anxiety but weak attachment
Describe the features of an insecure-avoidant attachment
- Low stranger and separation anxiety
- Little or avoidant response to reunion
What is insecure-resistant attachment?
An attachment type characterized by strong attachments and high anxiety
Describe the features of an insecure-resistant attachment
- High levels of stranger and separation anxiety
- Resistance to comfort at reunion
What are the 5 behaviours used to judge attachment?
- Proximity-seeking
- Exploration and secure-base behaviour
- Stranger anxiety
- Separation anxiety
- Response to reunion
Describe Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’
- Aimed to observe key attachment behaviours to assess quality of attachment to caregiver
- 100 middle class American infants observed through two-way mirror
- Behaviours assessed using attachment criteria
What were the findings of Ainsworth’s strange situation
- Secure attachment (B): 60-75%
- Insecure-avoidant (A): 20-25%
- Insecure-resistant (C): 3%
Describe the 7 episodes of the strange situation procedure
- The baby is encouraged to explore
- A stranger enters and approaches the baby
- The caregiver leaves the baby and stranger together
- The caregiver returns and the stranger leaves
- The caregiver leaves the baby alone
- The stranger returns
- The caregiver returns and is reunited with the baby
AO3 for types of attachment
