Attachment Theory: John Bowlby And Mary Ainsworth

Many have studied attachment; however, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth are the researchers responsible for the origination of the attachment theory in the late eighteenth century, and in turn, also became catalysts for research on attachment. The attachment theory claims that attachment “related behaviors, are activated in times of personal distress” (Bernier. Larose, & Whipple, 2005, p. 172). Attachment, as defined by Ainsworth, is “‘an affectional tie’ that an infant forms with a caregiver—a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time” (Berger, 2014, p. 142). Attachment is, therefore, dependent on the level of affection a caregiver bestows on an infant. There are four types of attachment. These include secure, insecure-resistant/ambivalent,