Synonyms
Definition
Attachment refers to the close bond that occurs between a parent and a child or between two individuals who are in a relationship.
Introduction
Recent attachment theory seems to begin with John Bowlby’s work, who indicated that children need a close and continuous relationship with a primary caregiver in order to flourish (Bowlby 1973; Feeney and Noller 1996). For Bowlby, attachment behavior is defined as “any form of behavior that results in a person attaining or retaining proximity to some other differentiated and preferred individual, usually conceived as stronger and or/wiser” (1973, p. 292). Bowlby later proposed a model of attachment that included a theory about working models of self and other that are used as templates for relationships throughout life. In forming the attachment bond through interactions with a primary caregiver, the individual develops expectations, or working models, about the...
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References
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Cater, T. (2016). Working Models of Self and Other. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2082-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2082-1
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