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The Insecure/Ambivalent Pattern of Attachment: Theory and Research
Author(s) -
Cassidy Jude,
Berlin Lisa J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1994.tb00796.x
Subject(s) - ambivalence , psychology , insecure attachment , developmental psychology , strange situation , vulnerability (computing) , attachment theory , context (archaeology) , attachment measures , competence (human resources) , social psychology , exploratory research , paleontology , computer security , sociology , computer science , anthropology , biology
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.