One problem with any theory of attachment is that it suggests that all children develop in similar ways all around the world.
Attachment has been defined by Shaffer (1993), as "a close emotional relationship between two persons, characterised by mutual affection and a desire to maintain proximity (closeness)." The most important attachment made by an infant is its first and is often to the primary care-giver. Although in most cases this is the mother, strong attachments can also be formed to other people with whom the infant has regular contact (Schaffer and Emerson, 1964). According to Freud (1926), "the reason why the infant in arms wants to perceive the presence of its mother is only because it already knows by experience that she satisfies all its needs without delay." This means that babies are initially attached to their mothers because their mothers are a source of food as well as a source of comfort and warmth. John Bowlby (1969) stated "Mother love in infancy is as important for infant mental health as are vitamins and proteins for physical health". However, it was Scaffer and Emerson in 1964 who concluded that there were certain identifiable stages or phases in infant development and continued to experiment into the intensity of Attachment. Following this, in 1970, Mary Ainsworth developed another, more rigorous method of measuring attachment in a procedure called the strange situation. The strange situation is in fact the main means of measuring attachment. Studies using this form of assessment have found that there are four types of attachment. Ainsworth and Bell (1970) classified children as belonging to one of three groups: secure (also known as type B), and two types of insecure attachment, avoidant (type A), and ambivalent (type C). Another insecure category added later was disorganised (type D).
