Attachment figure
Any person with whom a child or adult has a relatively long-lasting emotional bond, who is uniquely important to an individual, and who is interchangeable with no one else. That is, an attachment figure is a significant other. But an attachment figure has at least one additional criterion not included in the definition of significant other. That criterion is the seeking or yearning for emotional closeness that if found "would result in feeling secure and comfortable in relation to the partner" (Ainsworth, 1989, p.711). As with all affectional bonds--such as those felt for significant others and attachment figures--individuals are likely to feel the need to establish at least periodic physical closeness or proximity to their partner, experience "distress upon inexplicable separation, pleasure or joy upon reunion, and grief at loss..."(Ainsworth, 1989, p.711). Assessment of the extent to which an intimate adult is a significant other or an attachment figure may be made by responding to the Intimate Partner Attachment Questionnaire (IPAQ). | ||||
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Attachment figure Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
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Attachment theory
Attachment theory is a psychological theory that provides a descriptive and explanatory framework for discussion of affectionate relationships between human beings. Most of attachment theory as we know it today is derived from the work of John Bowlby and stresses the attitudes and behaviors of young children toward their adult caregivers. However, a wide variety of social behaviors, occurring at all ages, is subsumed under the term "attachment". These behaviors can include care-seeking by children or others, peer relationships of all ages, romantic and sexual attraction, and responses to the care needs of infants or sick or elderly adults. Attachment behaviors are accompanied by emotional experiences that motivate the behavior, as well as by cognitive and memory functions.
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