Attachment Theory

Attachment theory is a conceptual framework for developmental psychology and has been advanced to the study of adult attachments in interpersonal relationships, relational communication, and individual-level psychological processes. The theory was created by Bowlby and made testable by Ainsworth. It states that children are born with a psycho-biological system, the so-called attachment behavioral system that motivates them to seek or maintain proximity to an attachment figure, usually a primary caregiver. Attachment theory is a life-span theory, which assumes that initially formed attachment orientations are sustained over time and extended to a host of interpersonal relationships. Attachment insecurities, identified as consisting of attachment avoidance and anxiety, shape such social-cognitive mechanisms as interpersonal goal formation and planning. These mechanisms subsequently shape interpersonal communication.