attachment theory

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. a set of concepts that explain the emergence of an emotional bond between an infant and primary caregiver and the way in which this bond affects the child’s behavioral and emotional development into adulthood.

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Etymology

Origin of attachment theory

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

First developed by psychologist John Bowlby in the late 1950s after he studied how infants reacted when separated from their primary caregivers, attachment theory analyzes the way people bond with others.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023

Although Bowlby and Ainsworth’s attachment theory was considered radical in its time, scientists have since expanded it to explain not only human parenting but also friendships, romantic relationships and the pang of their loss.

From Scientific American • Feb. 13, 2023

Today, research around attachment theory provides more fodder on the importance of affectionate, healthy touch from a caregiver.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2023

Other critics, like Rob Weisskirch, a professor of Human Development at California State University, Monterey Bay, question the larger paradigm of adult attachment theory.

From New York Times • Nov. 6, 2021

I’m disappointed, though, that the daycare hasn’t been able to head some of these conflicts off at the pass, and I don’t understand what their attachment theory model has to do with anything.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2021