Topic > Ainsworth Attachment Theory Case Study - 726

This psychologist constructed three different types of attachment that a caregiver and child can show: secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-resistant (Anderson, 2015). Secure attachment is defined as the caregiver's readiness to meet their child's needs and to be a reliable “secure base” so that the child can move through his or her environment without worry (Anderson, 2015). When the caregiver is no longer present, the child displays upset emotions and condenses his exploration, but ultimately calms down because he is certain of the caregiver's return (Anderson, 2015). Ainsworth's insecure-avoidant attachment occurs when the caregiver does not promptly attend to their child and the child independently explores their environment without regard for their caregiver (Anderson, 2015). The child is very standoffish and shows little to no emotion when the caregiver leaves and returns (Anderson, 2015). Insecure-resistant attachment occurs when the child experiences a great deal of distress when the caregiver leaves, but refuses interaction with him or her when he or she returns. In this case, the child rarely moves in his environment because he is in extreme discomfort after the caregiver's departure (Anderson, 2015). “A common misconception about attachment is that there is only one figure who can serve as a caregiver, and that chosen one is the mother” (Anderson, 2015). A child can have multiple attachments, but not necessarily the same because one is usually the primary one, while the others are secondary (Anderson,