Attachment Fagus Guides > Attachment Contents Introduction Developmental Sequence Overview Infancy                               (0-2 years) Early Childhood           (2-7 years) Middle Childhood      (7-11 years) Adolescence                  (11-19 years) Overview Progression Through…

Introduction Fagus Guides > Attachment Attachment What is Attachment? Attachment refers to the emotional bond that we share with others. It “may be defined as an affectional tie that one person or animal forms between himself and another specific one – a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time” (p. 50,…

Developmental Sequence Overview Fagus Guides > Attachment Please note that developmental ranges and ages vary substantially from child to child within typical/neurotypical development. The sequence should be used only as a guide when determining a child’s current development. In writing this guide we have been mindful that every child is unique and develops in their…

Infancy (0-2 years) Fagus Guides > Attachment Infancy (0-2 years) Birth infant has an evolutionary bias towards forming relationships (Bowlby) precursor attachment behaviours exhibited from birth are designed to attract the attention of, trigger interactions with and maintain proximity to the caregiver: by a few days old babies begin to make eye contact with their…

Early Childhood (2-7 years) Fagus Guides > Attachment Early Childhood (2-7 years) 2 years calls for parent when he/she needs her maintains a similar level of proximity to caregiver but protests less when separated plays away from parent with other children see Play and Socialisation) 3 years develops a goal-corrected partnership with caregiver(s) between 3…

Middle Childhood (7-11 years) Fagus Guides > Attachment Middle Childhood (7-11 years) experiences longer periods of separation from the caregiver more frequently copes with separation from caregiver actual presence/absence of caregiver becomes less important availability and responsiveness of the caregiver become more important successful communication of attachment needs by the child and an appropriate response…

Adolescence Overview (11-19 years) Fagus Guides > Attachment Adolescence Overview (11-19 years) Adolescent and Parent Relationships Same-sex parent-adolescent attachments (e.g. mother-daughter) tend to be of better quality than opposite-sex attachments (e.g. mother-son). Furthermore, mother-daughter attachment in adolescent-parent relationships tend to be of a higher quality than father-son attachment, perhaps because females tend to value social…

Progression Through Adolescence Fagus Guides > Attachment Progression Through Adolescence Early adolescence (11-14 years) less time spent with parents, more time spent with peers (see Socialisation) longer periods of separation from parents the adolescent’s de-idealisation of parents may result in them distancing themselves from their parents this provides an opportunity for the adolescent to establish…

Glossary Fagus Guides > Attachment Glossary Attachment in the making phase: stage in which infants begin to recognise and show a preference for their main caregiver(s) (from approximately 2-7months). Clear-cut-attachment: attachment bond with primary caregiver, signified by proximity seeking behaviour, separation and stranger anxiety (occurs at approximately 7-9 months). De-idealisation of parents: the realisation that…

References Fagus Guides > Attachment References Ainsworth, M. D., Blehar, M., Waters, S.E. & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1973). The development of infant-mother attachment. In B. Cardwell & H. Ricciuti (Eds.), Review of child development research (Vol. 3, pp.…