Attachment: The What, the Why, and the Long-Term Effects

The bond between a child and the child’s caretaker is special. Such bonds are important for human survival. This special early bond is called an attachment. Scientists have shown that children can have one of four attachment styles, based on their relationship with the main person who looks after them. Each attachment style can have unique effects on children that can sometimes (though not always) carry on through teenage years and into adulthood. In this article, we explain what attachment is, what it looks like throughout a person’s lifetime, and what the effects of each attachment style are.