Child Attachment Theory

Attachment was derived out of John Bowlby’s research on children in orphanages and hospitals who suffered from consequences separation and loss (Ringel & Brandell, 2012). This theory postulates the mother and child have systems that interact with one another; the mother’s system helps the child self-regulate their system, which is activated after birth (Brisch, 2012). The mother offers the child safety, protection, and most importantly, security (Brisch, 2012). From this model, there are four types of attachment: secure, avoidant, ambivalent, insecure-disorganized (Brisch, 2012). Brisch (2012) confers that secure child will display happiness when they’re reunited with their mother and later return to play. Children with avoidant attachment may follow their mother with their eyes, but will mostly continue playing (Brisch, 2012). Upon the mother’s return, the avoidant child will not respond quickly and do not generally ask to for intense physical contact (Brisch, 2012). Children who present with excessive distress after separating from their mother with a longer period of stress even when she returns are ambivalent (Brisch, 2012). These children may respond aggressively while seeking closeness and physical contact (Brisch, 2012). Lastly, insecure-disorganized children may freeze, increasing the distance from their mother after seeking proximity with repetitive behavior and movement (Brisch, 2012).

(2014) vividly shared how disorganized attachment may form in the following:
Some children drink from bottles propped on pillow; some rock in place; most just sit and stare. The walls are bare and white…there are no toys and few visitors and little physical contact. One person cares for 30 children, her time filled with keeping them clean and fed…these children may be clean and fed, but they are suffering from severe social deprivation. Overwhelmed by the stress of their deprivation, their brains and hearts slowly waste away. (p.