ABSTRACT
Bowlby has demonstrated that the accessibility of parental figures is uniquely capable of sustaining children’s feelings of security and has used the term, ‘attachment’, to refer to the responsible relational bond (Bowlby 1969, 1973, 1977). Three characteristics have been proposed as distinguishing attachment from other relational bonds: (1) proximity seeking, (2) secure base effect, and (3) separation protest (West et al. 1987, following Rutter 1981; Weiss 1982). 1 Proximity seeking. The child will attempt to remain within protective
range of his parents. The protective range is reduced in strange or threatening situations.
