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PSYCH 600 Attachment Style

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PSYCH 600 Attachment Style
Attachment Style
Crystal Samon
PSYCH/600
December 22, 2014
Robert Irizarry
Attachment Style
Modern attachment theory, founded by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, studied the relationship between children and their caregivers. Attachment theory was applied to adult romantic relationships in the late 1980’s by Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver. They found interactions between adult romantic partners and interactions between children and their caregivers shared similarities. There are four main attachment styles identified in both adults and children. The adult styles are secure, anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, and fearful-avoidant. The children styles are secure, anxious-ambivalent, anxious-avoidant, and disorganized. The core principles of attachment theory apply to both types of relationships.
Birth to three is the most crucial time for an individual when it comes to forming attachment styles. Bartholomew (1990) defines attachment styles as modes of social interactions reflecting how people view themselves as well as others. Bartholomew’s (1990) concept of attachment style crosses two theoretically derived dimensions: a mental mode of self and a mental model of others. The mental mode of one’s self is based on whether a person has an internalized sense of self-worth. The mental mode of others is based on whether a person sees involvement with others to be rewarding. When crossing these dimensions four unique attachment styles emerge; secure, dismissive, fearful, and preoccupied.
Individuals with secure style are confident that others will like and accept them as well as being comfortable with closeness. Relatively few interpersonal problems are experienced among individuals with secure attachment style. Individuals with dismissive style are self-sufficient and confident. They often reject interaction with others and see relationships as unnecessary and unrewarding. A premium is placed on activities related to work or self-fulfillment
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