How attachment theory affects child development?

What is attachment

As defined by psychologist John Bowlby, attachment is “a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings.”  There are 4 types of attachment, with the first being the healthiest, which is secure attachment.  The others are anxious, avoidant, and then disorganized.  These attachments occur in utero and are either created or become needed during the critical period, which is the first three years of life.

Importance of attachment

Attachment is important because it sets a blueprint or emotional map with us throughout our lives.  If we develop secure attachment, we see the world as a safe place to meet our needs. This can lead to achieving other important stages of development positively. If we develop anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment, this can affect child development. Attachment is formed in the first three years of life by a caregiver responding to our needs and healthily meeting those needs.  For example, a baby cries because it is hungry, and a caregiver responds to that need by giving them a bottle or breastfeeding them.  The baby feels soothed with this response and can calm down and get its needs met. The flip side of that is the baby cries because it is hungry and no one responds to them, then they are not be soothed, and their needs are not met. 

How does it affect child development?

It has been researched and noted that failure to form secure attachment would have a negative impact on children throughout their lives.  When children do not feel safe, or their needs will not be met due to early life experiences, this causes the brain to be more activated and causes a stress response.  This can lead to many different behavioral issues that can play out throughout childhood into teen years and adulthood.  It can also lead to deficits in areas of social and emotional development.  The ability to self-regulated is another area that has anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachment styles can cause needs.  If a child was not soothed like a baby or their needs were inconsistently met, they will not have the ability to self-regulate because they were never taught how to by their caregivers, and with their brain development being affected, it becomes increasingly harder to be able to self-regulate because they are consistently in flight/fight/freeze mode.