Psychology of intimacy

Attachment theory

Alsoattachment stylesBowlby attachment theoryadult attachmentattachment types

Definition

Attachment theory explains how early bonds with caregivers shape the ways people seek closeness, comfort and security in later relationships.

At a glance

  • Attachment theory links early bonds with caregivers to how people seek closeness and comfort later in life.
  • John Bowlby developed the theory and Mary Ainsworth's infant studies produced the first attachment categories.
  • Hazan and Shaver applied it to adult romantic relationships in 1987.
  • Researchers now usually measure adult attachment along two dimensions: anxiety and avoidance.
  • Attachment patterns can shift over time with experience, relationships and therapy.

In detail

The theory was developed by psychiatrist John Bowlby in the mid twentieth century and extended by Mary Ainsworth, whose observations of infants led to the first attachment categories. In 1987, Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver applied the ideas to adult romantic relationships, suggesting that partners can act as attachment figures in much the same way caregivers do for children.

Researchers now describe adult attachment mainly along two dimensions: anxiety about rejection and avoidance of closeness. Popular writing often turns these into four fixed types, but studies suggest attachment is better thought of as a range that can shift with experience, relationships and therapy. It is a lens for understanding patterns, not a label that decides someone's future.

In a sentence

  • Reading about attachment theory helped me understand why I panic when a partner goes quiet.
  • My therapist uses attachment theory as a lens, not as a box to put me in.

Where the word comes from

Psychiatrist John Bowlby developed attachment theory from the 1950s onward, and Mary Ainsworth's observational studies in the 1960s and 1970s identified the first attachment categories. Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver extended it to adult romantic love in 1987.

Common questions

What are the four attachment styles?

Popular writing usually names secure, anxious, avoidant and disorganised (or fearful-avoidant) attachment. Researchers tend to see these less as fixed types and more as positions on two scales: how much someone worries about rejection and how much they avoid closeness.

Can your attachment style change?

Research suggests it can. Stable, supportive relationships, reflection and therapy can all help people move toward more secure ways of relating. Attachment is a way of understanding patterns, not a fixed label. A counsellor or therapist can help someone explore their own patterns.

Related terms

Sources

  1. Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyHazan & Shaver (1987) Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process
  2. Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyBartholomew & Horowitz (1991) Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model