What are attachment styles?
This is a theory originated by British psychoanalyst John Bowlby. Simply put, attachment styles, according to Bowlby are developed in infancy and are dictated by our interaction with caregivers. Bowlby wanted to understand stressors to children who experience unhealthy (or no) interaction from their caregivers. He observed the behavior of infants who were separated from caregivers. He proposed that behaviors such as crying or frantically searching for caregivers were adaptive responses to unmet needs. He further hypothesized that the opposite was also true. Infants who were not separated or quickly reunited with caregivers also had adaptive responses by way of normal thriving.(1)
This is groundbreaking information inside the confines of healing trauma and understanding motivations behind behaviors as adults. The four identified attachment styles carry into adulthood and understanding each style (and what yours is) can help us flip the switch, change the narrative, and experience growth, perhaps even post traumatic growth.
The Wednesdays With Watson Podcast seeks to educate and provide access to help for those who have experienced trauma or those who love them. Currently, the podcast is covering childhood trauma, and providing hope, help, and resources to help mitigate the damages of trauma. This episode with Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist discusses attachment styles. Over the course of the next few blogs, we will continue to address attachment styles, including the four types. We will also address how understanding our attachment style also helps us heal and helps with interpersonal relationships. Follow the blog so you don’t miss this series.
We will simply never stop fighting for you. Because YOU MATTER.
The Journey In The Writing 