As a counsellor, I often find that understanding attachment theory can be incredibly helpful for clients in navigating their relationships.
Developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, this theory provides valuable insights into how our early experiences with caregivers shape our behaviours and relationships throughout life. Let’s explore this concept together and see how it might apply to your own life.

The Foundations of Attachment
Attachment behaviours are deeply ingrained in us and they are there to ensure our survival. Just like young animals stay close to their mothers for protection, human infants exhibit behaviours- such as crying, clinging and smiling- to keep their caregivers close. These behaviours are essential for ensuring that a child’s needs for safety and reassurance are met, which is crucial for healthy development.

Mary Ainsworth and the ‘Strange Situation’
Mary Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ study is pivotal in understanding attachment styles. In this experiment, children were observed as they experienced brief separations and reunions with their mothers. Based on their reactions, three primary attachment styles were identified:

• Secure Attachment: If you have a secure attachment style, you likely had a caregiver who was consistently responsive to your needs. This made you feel safe and confident and you learned that you could rely on others for support. In relationships, securely attached individuals tend to feel comfortable with intimacy and independence.
• Insecure-Avoidant Attachment: If you find yourself distancing yourself emotionally from others, it might be rooted in an insecure-avoidant attachment. As a child, your caregiver might have been emotionally unavailable or unresponsive, leading you to learn to rely on yourself and avoid seeking support from others.
• Insecure-Ambivalent/Anxious Attachment: Those with an insecure-ambivalent or anxious attachment style often experienced inconsistent caregiving. If this is your style, you might find yourself craving closeness but simultaneously fearing that your needs won’t be met, which can lead to anxiety and uncertainty in relationships.

There’s also a fourth category which was identified later which is Disorganised Attachment style. This often results from caregivers who were abusive or frightening. If you find your relationships unpredictable or tumultuous, it could be due to disorganised attachment, where there is a mix of avoidance, anxiety and confusion.

Implications for Adult Relationships
Attachment styles don’t just stay in childhood- they extend into our adult relationships as well. Here’s how they typically manifest:

• Secure Attachment: You’re likely to have healthy, trusting relationships. You feel comfortable with intimacy and are generally a supportive partner.
• Avoidant Attachment: You might struggle with intimacy and keep an emotional distance from your partners. Trust can be a significant issue.
• Anxious Attachment: You may crave closeness and reassurance but fear abandonment. This can lead to dependency and behaviours driven by fear of rejection.
• Disorganised Attachment: Your relationships might be marked by instability and emotional turmoil, often stemming from unresolved past trauma.

How Attachment Styles Show Up in Relationships

Avoidant Attachment: Emma is in a relationship with Lucy but values her independence highly and often feels uncomfortable with too much closeness or emotional intimacy. When Lucy tries to discuss their future or express her feelings, Emma tends to shut down or change the subject. She avoids deep emotional conversations and prefers to keep things light and casual.
Emma often needs a lot of personal space and might spend long periods away from Lucy, engaging in solo activities or focusing on her work. If Lucy seeks more closeness or becomes emotionally expressive, Emma might feel overwhelmed and pull away, sometimes becoming distant or unresponsive.
Despite Lucy’s efforts to connect, Emma’s behaviour signals that she prefers to keep an emotional distance. Her avoidant attachment style makes it difficult for her to fully engage in intimate relationships, as she fears losing her autonomy or becoming too dependent on others. This creates a pattern where Emma maintains emotional barriers, impacting the depth of her relationship with Lucy.

Disorganised Attachment: Mia’s primary caregiver, her father, alternates between loving and affectionate and being unpredictable or even frightening. Sometimes, her father comforts her but other times he may shout or give her silent treatment for long periods of time, leaving Mia feeling confused and anxious.
When Mia seeks comfort, she approaches her father hesitantly, unsure of what response she might receive. She might cling to her father one moment and then push him away the next. Mia’s behaviour appears chaotic because she doesn’t have a consistent strategy to feel safe and secure.
As Mia grows older, these patterns persist. In her relationship with Dan she can be erratic in her behaviour, swinging between intense closeness and sudden withdrawal. Her past experiences with her father have taught her that people can be a source of both comfort and fear, making it difficult for her to develop trusting, stable relationships.

Anxious Attachment: Julie often feels anxious about her relationship with her partner, Tom. She frequently worried that Tom doesn’t love her as much as she loves him and fears that he might leave her for someone else. This fear is constant, even though Tom has never given her any reason to doubt his commitment.
When Tom is busy with work or spends time with friends, Julie becomes increasingly anxious. She might call or text him repeatedly, seeking reassurance of his love and commitment. If Tom doesn’t respond quickly, Julie’s anxiety escalates. She begins to imagine Tom losing interest in her.
When they are together, Julie often asks for reassurance, questioning, “Do you still love me?” or “Are you happy with me?" This need for validation can lead to tension, as Tom feels overwhelmed by her constant demands for reassurance. Julie’s fear of abandonment and her deep need for emotional closeness drives her behaviours, often leading to conflicts and stress in the relationship.

Secure Attachment: Ethan feels confident and secure in his relationship with Sam. When Sam is busy with work, Ethan doesn’t feel worried or neglected; he trusts his commitment.
They openly communicate about their feelings and support each other. Even when conflict does arise, Ethan and Sam handle it with understanding and patience, knowing that their bond is strong. They both enjoy independence while also valuing their time together.Changing Attachment Styles
The good news is that while early attachment experiences shape us, they do not define us. With self-awareness and intentional effort, you can work towards developing healthier attachment patterns.
Counselling can be especially useful here, helping you to work towards building secure and more fulfilling relationships. Counselling can also give you space to reflect on your own childhood experiences and explore how these may be impacting your life today.

Moving Forward
Understanding attachment theory can be a powerful tool in your journey towards healthier, more satisfying relationships. By recognising your attachment style, you can start to see patterns in your behaviour and relationships.
This awareness is the first step towards making positive change. Remember, it’s never too late to develop a more secure attachment style and build the meaningful connections you deserve.