iver. Attachment-in-the-making occurs in the period from two to seven months after birth, during which the infant responds more readily to the primary caregiver, but shows no distress at separation. Clear-cut attachments form from seven to 24 months of age. During this period, the infant always seeks out the primary caregiver when stressed, and protests separation in unfamiliar environments. After two years of age, attachment behaviors begin to wane, and a give-and-take type of relationships begins to develop between the caregiver and the somewhat independent toddler. It is thought that all children go through these same stages of attachment, and later theorists have proposed that security is the driving force for attachment, giving an emotional quality to the relationship.
There appear to be four basic types of attachment between infants and primary caregivers (LaFreniere, 1998). In secure attachment, infants show a balance between the desire to explore and the need to stay near their caregiver. They separate readily from the caregiver, and remain friendly with her and the stranger. Avoidant attachment occurs when an infant avoids the caregiver when distressed. The infant shows little preference for the caregiver over a stranger. Resistant attachment is characterized by emotional ambivalence and physical resistance to the caregiver. The infant is reluctant to separate, and often mixes contact-seeking with resistance to the caregiver. Disorganized attachment is when the infant displays confused and contradictory behaviors, such as looking away when reunited with the caregiver, or crying unexpectedly after settling down.
Psychologists have examined factors which lead to the various forms of attachment (LaFreniere, 1998). Bowlby believed that they are determined by the interactive history between the infant and the caregiver. Ainsworth theorized that maternal sensitivity towards the infant was a key factor, and when ...