The insecure/ambivalent pattern of attachment: theory and research

Child Dev. 1994 Aug;65(4):971-91.

Abstract

Relatively little has been written about one group of infants identified with Ainsworth's "Strange Situation" assessment of infant-parent attachment, those classified insecure/ambivalent. Although virtually all samples contain some insecure/ambivalent infants, these infants are uncommon, comprising 7%-15% of most American samples. Recently developed assessments of attachment in children and adults have identified attachment groups of older individuals thought to parallel the insecure/ambivalent infant group. Empirical work in which insecure/ambivalent individuals are examined as a separate group is reviewed within the context of attachment theory, and a coherent picture emerges of the antecedents (relatively low or inconsistent maternal availability; biological vulnerability) and sequelae (limited exploratory competence) of this group. This picture is used as the basis for additional theoretical proposals, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adult
  • Anxiety, Separation / epidemiology
  • Anxiety, Separation / psychology*
  • Attention
  • Child Abuse / psychology
  • Conflict, Psychological*
  • Exploratory Behavior
  • Fear
  • Forecasting
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Maternal Behavior
  • Models, Psychological
  • Mother-Child Relations*
  • Object Attachment*
  • Peer Group
  • Play and Playthings
  • Psychological Theory*
  • Psychology, Child*
  • Research
  • Sampling Studies