Attachment Theory

Think about the special adult(s) you had in your life when you were a child. This could have been your mother, father, grandparent, or someone else who took care of you a lot. Attachment Theory is all about how important it was that this adult(s) was there for you, especially when you were a small baby.

Think of it like this:

When you were a small baby, you needed someone to feed you, cuddle you, and to keep you safe. Your special adult(s) should have been like your superhero. If your special adult(s) was consistently present and met your needs for nourishment, comfort and safety, you learned that the world can be a safe place and that you are important and loved. You also learned that if you were scared, distressed, or hurt, you could go to your special adult(s) for a hug, and they would make you feel better. As you knew that your special adult(s) was always there if you needed them, this made you feel brave enough to go off into the world to explore and play.

If your special adult(s) offered you consistent and predictable care, it also created a special home base that you knew you could go back to for support. For example, you were able to develop confidence that you could venture away from your special adult(s) to play and explore, knowing that on your return, your special adult would show delight in your presence, and they would offer you comfort if you felt tired or sad.

And guess what? How your special adult(s) made you feel when you were a little child helped you understand how people would treat you when you got bigger. This meant that if you were treated well, you learnt how to treat others well and how to make friends. Sadly, this also meant that if you were treated badly, you might have grown up to believe that the world is scary and dangerous, and that you cannot trust anyone.

One last super important thing to remember is that although our early life experiences are believed to be foundational within Attachment Theory, research has helped us understand that we can change over time. Importantly, we know that we can change our behaviours through positive relational experiences, including having relationships that make us feel safe, loved, and understood.

The role of Attachment Theory in Children's Social Work

Attachment Theory is one of the most well-known theories used in child and family social work and is a popular lens through which practitioners can assess parent-child dynamics (Shemmings, 2015).

Reference to Attachment Theory and social work dates back to the social worker, James Robertson who, through his work at the Tavistock Clinic with John Bowlby, put forward early empirical evidence for Bowlby’s ideas about Attachment Theory. Robertson’s evidence was gained from undertaking close observations of young children, who were highly distressed when having to go into hospital or foster care, meaning they were separated from their parents (Howe, cited in Holmes and Farnfield, 2014).

Following on from the work of Bowlby and his colleagues, such as Robertson, researchers like Main and Solomon (1986) and Crittenden and Ainsworth (1989), transformed social workers’ thinking about the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect (Howe, cited in Holmes and Farnfield, 2014). 

Creating insight into the functioning of parent-child relationships

Attachment Theory has continued to play a fundamental role within social work as it has helped create invaluable links between children’s emotional development and behaviour and the quality of their relationships with their parent(s) and other attachment figures (Trevithick, 2005). Furthermore, research in Attachment Theory has helped social workers create ideas for how the effects of adversity in early life experiences, including separation and loss, can impact children’s developing minds, emotions and behaviour (Cocker and Allain, 2008).

"Attachment isn’t the problem. Danger is the problem, and attachment is the solution”

Patricia Crittenden