ABSTRACT
Bowlby saw attachment as one of several motivational and behavioral systems in humans and mentioned affiliation and playful interactions as examples of related systems that were distinct from seeking protection from an attachment figure. In his first volume on attachment, he quotes Murray (1938) who introduced the use of the word “affiliation” to denote “all manifestations of friendliness and good will, and a desire to do things in the company of others “ (Bowlby, 1969/1982, p. 229). Bowlby goes on to say that “as such [affiliation] is a much broader concept than attachment and is not intended to cover behaviour that is directed at one or two particular figures, which is the hallmark of attachment behaviour” (p. 229). Bowlby also made the distinction between playful interactions and attachment:
A child seeks his attachment figure when he is tired, hungry, ill, or alarmed and also when he is uncertain of the figure’s whereabouts . . . By contrast, a child seeks a playmate when he is in good spirits and confident about the whereabouts of his attachment-figure; when the playmate is found, moreover, the child wants to engage in playful interactions with him or her. If this analysis is right, the roles of the attachment figure and playmate are distinct.
