Define attachment. Describe the three patterns of attachment insecurity as they are seen in the Strange Situation

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Attachment is the strong affectionate tie we have with special people in our lives that leads us to feel pleasure when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness in times of stress. By the second half of the first year, infants have become attached to familiar people who have responded to their needs. Although all family-reared babies become attached to a familiar caregiver, the quality of this relationship varies. Researchers have identified a secure attachment pattern and three patterns of insecurity. Insure attachment patterns include:
• Avoidant attachment. These infants seem unresponsive to the parent when she is present in the Strange Situation. When she leaves, they usually are not distressed, and they react to the stranger in much the same way as to the parent. During reunion, they avoid or are slow to greet the parent, and when picked up, they often fail to cling.
• Resistant attachment. Before separation, these infants seek closeness to the parent and often fail to explore. When the parent leaves, they are usually distressed, and on her return they combine clinginess with angry, resistive behavior, sometimes hitting and pushing. Many continue to cry after being picked up and cannot be comforted easily.
• Disorganized/disoriented attachment. This pattern reflects the greatest insecurity. At reunion, these infants show confused, contradictory behaviors—for example, looking away while the parent is holding them or approaching the parent with flat, depressed emotion.