Attachment is an emotional bond that is established from the first moments of life between the mother and the newborn or the person in charge of his or her care. Its function is to ensure care, psychological development and personality formation.
Who was the first to study the effects of attachment and its consequences on mental health?
John Bowlby (1907-1990), child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, based on the work of the American psychologist Mary Ainsworth, dedicated himself to studying the effects of the relationship between the main caregiver and the minor, on the mental health of minors and on his adult life.
Bowlby conducted a study with children institutionalized for theft, and with children who had been separated from their mothers at an early age and concluded that the resilience of minors was influenced by the bond formed in the early years. of life.
The type of relationship established between the baby of a few months and his caregiver is decisive in subsequent behavior and emotional development.
What different types of attachment exist?
Four types of attachment have been described:
secure attachment
This type of attachment is characterized by unconditionality: the child knows that his caregiver is not going to fail him. Children with secure attachment exhibit active behaviors and interact confidently with their environment; it is not an effort for them to bond intimately with people and they are not afraid of abandonment. They are people who will be able to lead an independent adult life, without giving up their interpersonal relationships and emotional ties.
Anxious and ambivalent attachment
The child does not trust his or her caregivers and has a constant feeling of insecurity, feeling inconsistency in care and security behaviors. As adults, they find it difficult to interact with people the way they would like, as they expect to receive more intimacy or bonding than they provide. An example of this type of attachment in adults is emotional dependence.
Avoidant attachment
Children with an avoidant attachment type have assumed that they cannot count on their caregivers. The behaviors of their caregivers have not generated sufficient security, the minor develops compulsive self-sufficiency with a preference for emotional distance. In adulthood, feelings of rejection of intimacy with others and relationship difficulties occur. For example, the partners of these people miss more intimacy in the interaction.
disorganized attachment
It contains elements of anxious and avoidant attachment in which the child presents contradictory and inappropriate behaviors. It is presented by minors whose caregivers have shown negligent or unsafe behavior.
As adults they tend to be people with a high level of frustration and anger, they do not feel loved and seem to reject relationships, although deep down they are their greatest desire. In some cases, this type of attachment in adults can be found at the bottom of constant conflictual relationships.
Can we do something to change our attachment style?
Of course, attachment evolves throughout our lives. All the interrelationships that occur from birth to adulthood mark the behavior of the current moment. Friendship, work and couple relationships also influence the type of attachment and the role maintained with new attachment figures.
To give an example, a person with an insecure attachment style in childhood can “learn” from the secure attachment behaviors provided by their partner or other loved ones, such as a group of psychologically healthy close friends.
Learn all the details about attachment in our Postgraduate in Intervention with Minors
We must say that, from the moment the child is born, parents must offer him unconditional love; That is, they should not only love their child; but they must demonstrate it with their behavior, day by day. Making you feel that they will be by your side, whenever you need it. Shows of love with kisses and hugs are very important, so that the minor feels loved. Parents must show them that they will help them, whenever they need it. And it must be demonstrated with facts. In this way, the minor will achieve a secure attachment, in order to be an independent and self-confident person in the future.