Week 1: Introduction to Attachment

Q: Who studied imprinting in geese, and what did he discover?

A: Konrad Lorenz (1935). Found imprinting is instinctive, happens rapidly (12–17 hrs after hatching), and ensures survival.

Q: What did Harry Harlow’s monkey experiments show?

A: Attachment is about more than food — comfort, safety, and emotional connection are key.

Q: Who is the founder of attachment theory for humans?

A: John Bowlby. Proposed attachment is innate, activated under stress, and shapes relationships throughout life.

Q: Why do we begin studying relationships with attachment theory?

A: It’s the first relationship model we experience, forms a baseline for all close relationships, and patterns repeat throughout life.

Q: True or False: Our early attachment style has no influence on adult romantic relationships.

A: False.

Q: What is the Strange Situation?

A: A structured lab observation (1970s) of infants (12–18 months) with separations, reunions, and a stranger, to study attachment styles.

Q: What are the four attachment styles identified?

A: Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganized.

Q: Secure attachment behaviors?

A: Distressed when caregiver leaves, soothed when they return, excited and confident.

Q: Avoidant/Dismissive behaviors?

A: No distress when caregiver leaves, avoids contact on return.

Q: Anxious/Preoccupied behaviors?

A: Intense distress when caregiver leaves, seeks contact but resists comfort when they return.

Q: Disorganized behaviors?

A: Mix of anxious and avoidant; freezes, contradictory actions, fearful of closeness.

Q: What are the 4 adult attachment styles?

A:

1. Secure – Trusting, balanced closeness & independence, good communication.

2. Anxious – Fear of rejection, clingy, needs reassurance.

3. Avoidant – Emotionally distant, values independence, avoids vulnerability.

4. Disorganized – Push-pull behavior, fears intimacy, struggles with trust.

Q: Key features of attachment in Infancy?

A: Bond with caregiver, secure = trust & regulation; insecure = neglect/inconsistency effects.

Q: In Childhood?

A: Extends to peers/teachers; secure = confidence & social skills; insecure = clinginess, withdrawal, aggression.

Q: In Adolescence?

A: Shifts to peers/romance; secure = independence, strong identity; insecure = low self-esteem, conflict.

Q: In Emerging Adulthood?

A: Friendships & romance central; secure = trust, commitment; insecure = jealousy, avoidance.

Q: In Adulthood?

A: Shapes romance, parenting, friendships; secure = satisfaction & support; insecure = struggles in closeness & parenting.

Q: How do others’ responses affect the self?

A: They teach us how to view ourselves; feedback shapes internal dialogue and expectations.

Q: What does “self” mean in attachment terms?

A: Whether we see ourselves as worthy of support and care.

Q: What does “others” mean in attachment terms?

A: Whether we see others as likely to respond helpfully to us.

Q: Is attachment stable across life?

A: Mostly, but it can change through new experiences, therapy, or supportive relationships.

Q: What are two critiques?

A:

1. Cross-cultural validity – in some cultures, many caregivers raise a child.

2. Systems perspective – family systems affect attachment beyond one caregiver.

Q: What is Secure Attachment?

A: Comfortable with both closeness and independence; trusts others, communicates well, depends on others without fear of abandonment.

Traits: Open, emotionally available, sets healthy boundaries, balances intimacy and autonomy.

Q: What is Anxious (Anxious-Preoccupied) Attachment?

A: Worries about being unloved or abandoned; seeks high levels of closeness and reassurance, sometimes becoming clingy.

Traits: Sensitive to partner’s moods, fears rejection, struggles to trust love will last.

Q: What is Avoidant (Dismissive-Avoidant) Attachment?

A: Values independence, avoids too much closeness, downplays emotions, pulls away when others get close.

Traits: Self-reliant, emotionally distant, uncomfortable with vulnerability, struggles to express needs.

Q: What is Disorganized (Fearful-Avoidant) Attachment?

A: Mix of anxious + avoidant traits; craves closeness but fears it, often linked to trauma or inconsistent caregiving.

Traits: Push-pull behavior, fears intimacy and rejection, difficulty trusting others, often feels unsafe in relationships.