{"id":10352,"date":"2021-07-19T06:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T04:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.attachmentproject.com\/?p=10352"},"modified":"2025-03-03T21:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T19:49:05","slug":"insecure-attachment-in-childhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.attachmentproject.com\/blog\/insecure-attachment-in-childhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Insecure Attachment Styles: From Childhood to Adulthood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An insecure attachment style<\/strong> is characterized by difficulties in relationships and maladaptive beliefs about the self and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insecure attachment styles typically form in early childhood as a result of the caregiver-child bond. In essence, how a child perceives their needs to be responded to and met by their caregiver(s) forms an internal working model of relationships<\/a> and themselves. This mental representation of relationships continues to shape our interpretations of relationships as we develop into adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re wondering what insecure attachment is, how it develops in childhood, and how attachment insecurity<\/strong> continues to affect us as adults, this article contains all the information you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding Insecure Attachment Theory<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Attachment theory<\/a> is a model of socio-emotional development which originated initially from the work of John Bowlby<\/a> in the 1950s, as he posited that emotional problems cannot be solely attributed to internal processes. Instead, Bowlby proposed that how a child interacts with their environment in their early years \u2013 and specifically the caregiver-child bond \u2013 affects a child\u2019s emotional health and development. Mary Ainsworth<\/a> expanded on the model, especially with her contributions to the categorizations of the attachment styles<\/a>, which were originally known as secure, resistant, and avoidant. Mary Main<\/a>, a PhD student of Ainsworths, noted a distinct category of children who didn\u2019t fit within these previous classifications, hence another category was devised \u2013 the disorganized attachment style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the core constructs of attachment theory were formed between the 50s and 70s, the field of attachment continues to expand every day through social, neurological, and psychological research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Insecure Attachment Styles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The insecure attachment styles are currently classified as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attachment Style<\/strong><\/td>In Childhood<\/strong><\/td>In Adulthood<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Insecure<\/td>Anxious-ambivalent<\/a><\/td>Anxious-preoccupied<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Insecure<\/td>Anxious-avoidant<\/a><\/td>Avoidant-dismissive<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Insecure<\/td>Disorganized<\/a><\/td>Fearful-avoidant<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In general, attachment styles are seen as a spectrum or dimensions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n