[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Behavioral science](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/) › [Human development across the life span](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/areas/development/) › Attachment: Bowlby, Ainsworth and the attachment styles

# Attachment: Bowlby, Ainsworth and the attachment styles

- Theory

Attachment is the bond a child forms with caregivers. Its quality, secure or insecure, depends mainly on how sensitive and consistent the care is.

Updated Nov 5, 2026

## Key points

- Secure: upset at separation, seeks and is quickly comforted at reunion; linked to sensitive, responsive care. The most common style.
- Insecure-avoidant: little distress and ignores the caregiver at reunion; linked to rejecting or emotionally unavailable care.
- Insecure-ambivalent (resistant): very distressed, clings yet resists comfort; linked to inconsistent care.
- Disorganized (Main and Solomon): contradictory, frozen or fearful behavior toward the caregiver; most strongly linked to maltreatment and frightening care.
- Stranger anxiety appears at about 6 to 9 months; separation anxiety peaks in the second year and usually fades by about 3 years.
- An attachment style describes a relationship, not a diagnosis; temperament and culture also shape behavior.

## What it is

John Bowlby described attachment as an inborn system that keeps an infant close to a caregiver, who becomes a secure base for exploring and a safe haven when frightened. Harlow's monkey studies showed that comfort, not only food, drives the bond. Mary Ainsworth measured attachment quality with the Strange Situation, in which a 12- to 18-month-old is separated from and reunited with the caregiver; the child's behavior at reunion defines the style.

## Key facts

- Bowlby's secure base means the child explores more freely when the caregiver is close and available.
- Attachment forms in the first year with the main caregivers, and a child can have different styles with different people.
- Internal working models are the expectations about others and oneself built from early relationships.
- Disorganized attachment is not proof of abuse, but it is a warning sign that justifies a careful look at the child's safety.

## Attachment styles in the Strange Situation

| Style | Child at separation and reunion | Typical caregiving | Later associations |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Secure | Upset when the caregiver leaves; greets and is comforted on return, then plays again | Sensitive, responsive and consistent | Better emotion regulation and peer relationships |
| Avoidant | Little visible distress; avoids or ignores the caregiver on return | Rejecting or emotionally distant | Suppression of emotion, difficulty asking for help |
| Ambivalent (resistant) | Very distressed; seeks contact but resists it and is hard to soothe | Inconsistent, unpredictable | Anxiety, dependence on others' approval |
| [Disorganized](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/child-maltreatment/) | Contradictory or frozen behavior, approaches then backs away, fear of the caregiver | Frightening or frightened care, maltreatment, unresolved caregiver trauma | Highest risk of later behavior and dissociative problems |

## Clinical notes

- In hospital, rooming-in, consistent caregivers and allowing parents to stay reduce the distress of young children.
- Severe neglect or institutional care in early childhood can lead to attachment disorders; maltreatment needs reporting and protection.
- Separation anxiety that is excessive for age and interferes with daily life is a disorder, different from the normal protest of a toddler.

## Memory aid

Four reunions: Secure hugs, Avoidant ignores, Ambivalent clings and pushes, Disorganized freezes.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What procedure did Ainsworth use to classify attachment, and at what age?

The Strange Situation, at about 12 to 18 months: separation from and reunion with the caregiver, with a stranger present.

## Which attachment style is most strongly linked to child maltreatment?

Disorganized attachment, with contradictory or fearful behavior toward the caregiver.

## What type of caregiving is linked to ambivalent (resistant) attachment?

Inconsistent, unpredictable caregiving.

## What did Harlow's experiments with infant monkeys show?

That infants seek comfort and contact, not only food: they preferred a soft cloth surrogate to a wire one that gave milk.

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/behavioral-science/attachment-bowlby-ainsworth-and-the-attachment-styles/)

## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia

- [The limbic system, emotion and reward](https://durgical.com/en/physiology/the-limbic-system-emotion-and-reward/)

## Connections

## Related 5

- [Temperament](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/temperament/)
- [Erikson's psychosocial stages](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/erikson-s-psychosocial-stages/)
- [Milestones of the first year](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/milestones-of-the-first-year/)
- [Milestones from 1 to 3 years](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/milestones-from-1-to-3-years/)
- [Personality: traits, the Big Five and Freud's models](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/personality-traits-the-big-five-and-freud-s-models/)

## Related conditions 2

- [Separation anxiety disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/separation-anxiety-disorder/)
- [Child maltreatment (physical abuse, abusive head trauma, neglect)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/child-maltreatment/)

[← All of behavioral science](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/)

Educational content on behavior and the clinical relationship; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for assessment by a health professional. If you or someone near you is at risk, seek help now from an emergency service or a mental-health helpline.

Sources: [Milestones by 9 Months](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/9-months.html) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2026); [Milestones by 18 Months](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/18-months.html) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2026).

## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake

Representative model, for educational purposes only.

---
Source: https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/attachment-bowlby-ainsworth-and-the-attachment-styles/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/attachment-bowlby-ainsworth-and-the-attachment-styles/