Stages of attachment

• What are the 4 stages ?

  1. Asocial
  2. indiscriminate
  3. specific
  4. multiple
• What is stage 1 


  asocial - 0-8 weeks

  • recognise + form bonds with carers
  • non human objects + humans similar
  • preference for familiar adults( find it easier to calm them )
  • smile at anyone
  • prefer faces to non- faces
• What is stage 2 ?


  Indiscriminate- 2-7 months

  • observale social behaviour
  • prefer people to non- human objects
  • recognise + prefer familiar adults
  • accept comfort from any adult
  • no seperstiom or stranger anxiety
• What is stage 3 ?

  Specific - 7-12 months

  • anxiety towards strangers + seperation anxiety towards one specific person
  • formed a specific attachment( not the person who spends most time but the one who responds to the babies signals)
  • use familiar adults as a secure base
• What is stage 4 ?

  Multiple attachments- 1 year +

  • attach to each tier adults as they spend a lot of time with ‘ secondary attachments‘
  • 29% attach within a month (shaffee + Emerson) of forming a primary attachment
  • by 1 year all have formed multiple
• Evaluation ?

  1. Hard to study asocial stage
  2. conflicting evidence on multiple attachments
  3. measuring multiple attachments
• Hard to measure asocial stage ?

  • important interactions take place here
  • babies are young + have poor communication skills as immobile
  • hard to judge behaviour based on observations
• conflicting evidence on multiple attachments

  • bowlby -> babies form single before forming multiple
  • other cultures where multiple caregivers is the norm -> van ijzendoorn say have multiple attachments from the start
• Measuring multiple attachments

  • bowlby suggest babies have ‘playmates’-> may get distressed when they leave the room

  - does not signify attachment

  • Observations cannot distinguish between behaviour towards playmate + secondary attachment figure