Types of Attachment

Types of Attachment

1. Strange situation - Mary Ainsworth and Wittig

   • Stranger anxiety - how toddler feels when stranger enters room
   • Willingness to explore - Infant uses parent as secure base & explore the room
   • Separation anxiety - how infant feels when mother leaves the room
   • Reunion Behaviour - how infant reacts to mother returning

2. Ainsworth and Wittig found:

   • 3 types of attachment
     • (Primary type) (66%) Secure Attachment
       • High willingness to explore
       • Some infants are easy to sooth, allowing strangers to soothe the baby
       • Ethusiastic Behaviour @ reunion with mother
       • High stranger anxiety
     • Insecure, avoidant (22% of infants)
       • High willingness to explore
       • Low stranger anxiety
       • Indifferent towards strangers
       • Avoids contact when mother returns.
     • Insecure, resistant (18%)
       • Low willingness to explore
       • High stranger anxiety
       • Distress when separated
       • Seeks and rejects when mother returns
     • EXTRA! 4th!! Maine and Solomon (1986)
       • Insecure disorganised
         • Lack of coherent strategy for dealing w/ separation
         • Odd movements - only when caregiver is present.
           • Testing strength of attachment between child and caregiver

3. Mary Ainsworth (1967)

   • Studied attachments in Uganda and Baltimore
     • Showed that attachment was universal
     • Showed importance of secure attachment and sensitive responsiveness

4. EVALUATION!

   • Weakness
     • Issues of validity
       • Construct validity has been demonstrated by research support for the 4 types of attachment
       • Maine & Weston (1981)
         • Said that the SS measured a particular relationship not an individual