Stages of Attachment

• What are stages of attachment?

  Many developmental theories identify a sequence of qualitatively different behaviours linked to specific ages. In stages of attachment some characteristics of the infant's behaviour towards others changes as the infant gets older.
• What are multiple attachments?

  Attachments to two or more people. Most babies appear to develop multiple attachments once they have formed one true attachment to a main carer.
• How many stages of attachment are there?

  4
• What are the 4 stages of attachment?

  1. Asocial stage (first few weeks)
  2. Indiscriminate attachment
  3. Specific/Discriminate attachment
  4. Multiple attachments
• What is Stage 1. Asocial stage (first few weeks)?

  • However, the baby's behaviour towards non-human objects and humans is quite similar
  • Babies show some preference for familiar adults in that those individuals find it easier to calm them
  • Babies are also happier when in the presence of other humans
• What is Stage 2. Indiscriminate attachment?

  • From 2-7 months babies display more observable social behaviour. They show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects, and recognise and prefer familiar adults
  • Babies usually accept comfort and cuddles from any adult, and they do not usually show separation anxiety or stranger anxiety
  • Their attachment behaviour is therefore said to be indiscriminate because it is not different towards any one person
• What is Stage 3. Specific attachment?

  • From around 7 months the majority of babies start to display anxiety towards strangers and become anxious when separated from one particular adult (biological mother in 65% of cases)
  • At this point the baby has formed a specific attachment. The adult is termed the primary attachment figure
  • This person is not necessarily the person the child spends most time with but the one who offers the most interaction and responds to the baby's 'signals' with the most skill
• What is Stage 4. Multiple attachments?

  • Shortly after babies start to show attachment behaviour towards one adult they usually extend this attachment behaviour to multiple attachments with other adults with whom they regularly spend time. These relationships are called secondary attachments
  • In Schaffer and Emerson's study, 29% of the children had secondary attachments within a month of forming a primary (specific) attachment
  • By the age of about 1 year the majority of infants had developed multiple attachments
• What age does Stage 1 develop?

  First few weeks up to 6 months
• What age does Stage 2 develop?

  2-7 months
• What age does Stage 3 develop?

  From around 7 months / 7 months +
• What age does Stage 4 develop?

  1 year onwards