definition of an attachment disorder
| An attachment is the "lasting psychological connectedness between human
beings" (Bowlby, 1969, p. 194). |
An infant's first attachment is formed with the primary caregiver that
provides physical and emotional care. This is typically the child's mother,
but does not necessarily have to be so. The attachment is formed with the
person who provides food, comfort, and routine care.
Through
millions of interactional patterns that take place in every day care (e.g.,
feeding, changing, comforting), a relationship develops between the primary
caregiver and the child. This first relationship then becomes the base from
which all other relationships are formed.
A healthy
attachment may inoculate the child from atypical behavior in later life
while an unhealthy attachment may set the child up for behavior problems and
relationship problems with others, including peers, spouses, and family.
Just as a bent sapling becomes a damaged tree, so can a faulty first
attachment affect the growth of the child's social personality.
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