Definition
Bowlby’s theory of attachment includes several important foundational constructs. First and foremost, attachment relationships are clearly presented as a biological predisposition evolved to ensure survival. Individuals are proposed to develop attachment relationships with caregivers and seek and maintain proximity to these caregivers when stressed, ill, or afraid. Differences in sensitivity of care were proposed to be associated with individual differences in attachment. Although Bowlby was particularly interested in the parent-child relationship, he was clear that attachment representations would be important for relationship functioning from “cradle to grave.” Infants tend to develop a primary attachment with their predominant caregiver; however, infants can develop multiple attachment relationships, and, throughout childhood and adulthood, we organize these attachment relationships into a hierarchy. And finally, Bowlby proposed that once formed, attachment...
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Scharfe, E. (2017). Attachment Theory. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3823-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3823-1
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