Can attachment turn into love?

There are countless examples of individuals who are not immediately interested in each other and develop an attachment beyond just a simple friendship. Over time these individuals get to know each other in ways only they can understand, and through this time, understanding and acceptance, they can grow to love each other. We can use love in the platonic sense or the romantic sense. Either way, this love came from a form of attachment that first needed to exist to allow the opportunity for love to develop. Of course, how strongly or deeply one attaches influences how quickly love develops if it’s even a possibility.

It's also important to consider how we define attachment and love to gauge how one can lead to the other accurately. However, loosely considering that many people may define attachment as having a mental and emotional bond with another(s) and love as having an emotion that elicits affection, we can see how some individuals may say, “I'm not in love with him/her, but I do love him/her.” This is an example of how one person has an attachment to the other and defines the love that exists as non-romantic yet existing with affection.

There is also an example of individuals purposefully creating attachments as a means of it leading to love. Granted, at times, this may not be the healthiest of approaches; however, it does reflect the premise of attachment turning into love even if the outcome was pre-determined. Attachment with another individual signifies some degree of acceptance and identification, and through these themes, we can grow to love the individual as there is some reflection of ourselves. Of course, we are assuming we love ourselves; however, if identification with some part of us recognizes, it can serve as a pathway to a form of love. One of the greatest yet easiest examples to reflect attachment turning into love is experienced by parents soon after the birth of their child. It's in that moment when a visual and physical connection is made that attachment can instantly turn into love.