Episode #9: Attachment - What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Today, Kristin digs into attachment. What does attachment mean? Where did the attachment theory come from and why is it so important? We take a look at the topic of attachment and end with some practical strategies we can implement in our therapy sessions, classrooms and homes.

Goals for this episode: 

1. Introduce and define attachment

2. Learn the historical foundations of the attachment theory

3. Identify and define different attachment patterns (secure & insecure)

4. Look at the importance of secure attachment 

5. Overview of strategies to support secure attachment in children.

Attachment is a bond (or connection) we develop in early childhood with our primary caregiver (or caregivers) that is the basis/foundation for later development. 

Patterns of Attachment: 

1. Secure Attachment

2. Ambivalent

3. Avoidant

4. Disorganized

Hierarchy of Development: 

1. Attachment (foundation)

2. Self-regulation

3. Affiliation

4. Awareness

5. Tolerance

6. Respect

Neurosequential Model 3 Rs: 

1. Regulate

2. Relate

3. Reason

Emotional Coaching Steps:

1. Tune In

2. Connect

3. Accept and Listen

4. Reflect

5. Problem Solving/Choices/Setting Limits

Resources: 

Attachment Theory Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjOowWxOXCg

Contributions of Attachment Theory and Research: A Framework for Future Research, 

Translation, and Policy - Dev Psychopathol. 2013 Nov; 25(4 0 2): 1415–1434.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Volume 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books. 

Patterns of Attachment - A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation - pdf Intro

Early Years Study 2: Putting Science into Action - McCain, Mustard & Shanker

ReGain Article: What Types of Attachment are Healthy and Unhealthy?

Infant-parent attachment: Definition, types, antecedents, measurement and outcome - Paediatr Child Health. 2004 Oct; 9(8): 541–545.

What is Attachment Theory Article

What is Attachment Theory? Bowlby’s 4 Stages Explained

Review of Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics

Attachment (Psychology Today) Article

Bowlby, J. (1944). Forty-four juvenile thieves: their characters and home-life. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 25, 19–53

Crittenden, P.(1999) 'Danger and development: the organisation of self-protective strategies' in Atypical Attachment in Infancy and Early Childhood Among Children at Developmental Risk ed. Joan I. Vondra & Douglas Barnett, Oxford: Blackwell pp. 145–171

Solomon, J., George, C. & De Jong, A. (1995) Children classified as controlling at age six: Evidence of disorganized representational strategies and aggression at home and at school. Development and Psychopathology 7: 447–447.

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