Editing Attachment Theory (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
Attachment theory is understood through '''Safety''' and '''Proximity'''.

'''1. The Biological Need''':
Bowlby argued that attachment is not just "Love," it's "Survival."
* In the wild, a baby who stays close to its mother doesn't get eaten.
* We have evolved a "Proximity-Seeking System" that gets triggered when we feel afraid or lonely.

'''2. The Strange Situation (The Test)''':
In this experiment, a mother leaves her child in a room with a stranger and then returns.
* '''Secure''': The child is upset when she leaves but is easily comforted when she returns.
* '''Avoidant''': The child doesn't seem to care when she leaves and ignores her when she returns. (They are actually very stressed inside, but have learned to "Hide" it).
* '''Anxious''': The child is inconsolable and might even hit the mother when she returns, being angry that she left.

'''3. The "Working Model" (The Blueprint)''':
* If your parent is consistent, you learn: "I am worthy of love, and people are trustworthy."
* If your parent is inconsistent, you learn: "I must fight to get attention, and love is unpredictable."
* These models often stay with us into adulthood, affecting who we date and how we raise our own children.

'''Adult Attachment''': In the 1980s, researchers realized that the same three styles apply to romantic partners. "Secures" have stable marriages; "Anxious" people are often "Clingy"; "Avoidants" are often "Emotionally Distant."
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