Attachment
Attachment is the drive to pursue and preserve closeness and contact with others; an attachment relationship exists when that state has been achieved. It’s an instinctual drive programmed into the mammalian brain, owing to the absolute helplessness and dependency of infant mammals.
Attachment styles form during the period from about six months to two years of age. During the latter part of this period, children begin to use attachment figures (familiar people) as a secure base to explore from and return to. Parental responses lead to the development of patterns of attachment. These, in turn, lead to internal working models that will guide the individual’s feelings, thoughts, and expectations in later relationships.
References
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Mate, Gabor. (2010). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts Close Encounters with Addiction Chapter 17. Their Brains Never Had a Chance (p. 235). Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Metadata
Type:🔵 Tags: Developmental Psychology / Evolutionary Psychology Status:☀️