ABSTRACT
Children’s attachment is formed as a result of close affective relationship between the infant and the care-giver and is not simply a biological dependency. It has a stable organising role for social and emotional behaviours. The parent’s sensitivity and motivation in reading the infant’s signals and quality of their response forms the basis of the sense of security and trust for the infant. When the parent is not available or is unreliable, the infant feels less secure, and the infant’s behaviour becomes less exploratory. A secure attachment relationship with the parent helps the infant form a stable working model of self and others (Bretherton and Waters 1985).
