Stages of Attachment Identified by Schaffer

• Stages of attachment

  Schaffer & Emerson
• Stages of Attachment


  1. Asocial (0-6 weeks)

  2. Indiscriminate Attachment (6 weeks-6 months)

  3. Specific Attachment (7 months +)

  4. Multiple Attachment (10 months onwards)
• Asocial stage (0-6 weeks)


  • Infants respond to people and objects in the same way
  • Babies can cry for attention and by 6 weeks old they are starting to smile but they may well smile at a range of people, not just the primary caregiver
  • Babies do, however, show a preference for looking at images of faces and eyes (Fantz 1961)
• Indiscriminate Attachment stage (6 weeks-6 months)

  • Babies enjoy the company of a range of people
  • Babies are happy to be cuddled by a stranger
  • Babies may become upset if an adult stops interacting with them but they are yet to develop separation anxiety
  • Research shows that they smile more at actual people than at lifelike objects such as puppets (Ellsworth et al. 1993)
• Specific Attachment stage (7 months +)


  • The baby now has a strong attachment to their primary caregiver
  • All the signs of attachment are present: separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, proximity-seeking behaviour and clinginess
• Multiple Attachment stage (10 months onwards)

  • Babies now have a range of secondary attachment figures with whom they have formed a bond
  • Secondary attachments are those which develop after the primary attachment figure has been established
  • By the time a child is 12-18 months old they will have developed multiple attachments
• Schaffer & Emerson's stages of attachment

  • Follow a logical pattern
  • Reflect most children's experience of attachment, hence the theory has external validity
  • Could be used to identify developmental delay or infant-caregiver bonding issues by healthcare professionals
• Weaknesses of Schaffer & Emerson's stages of attachment

  • Not all children will fit neatly into the stages: some children may bond quickly with a range of people while others may be slower, so the theory lacks some reliability
  • It is notoriously difficult to measure and track infant behaviour: many aspects of attachment remain a mystery i.e. a baby cannot explain how they are feeling or give reasons for their actions