Mental health articles

Insecure attachment
Recall from earlier in this chapter that securely attached infants (‘B’ pattern)
experience the carer as consistent, available and sensitive and that they are able
to use the carer as a secure base from which to explore the environment.
Insecurely attached infants may have experienced insensitive and/or
inconsistent care and remain anxious about the availability of their attachment
figure. Some insecure infants will show heightened attachment behaviours such
as clinging and separation distress and are described as ‘ambivalent or resistant’
(‘C’ pattern) in attachment classifications. Others may appear distant or
unemotional with the carer as a way of managing anxiety and are classified as
‘avoidant’ (‘A’ pattern). These are styles or strategies for managing anxiety about
the parent and are not ‘disorders’ but refer to potential personality
vulnerabilities as they become incorporated into the child’s characteristic
interpersonal style.

Tags: attachment