ABSTRACT
The emotional bonds between adult romantic partners can be understood in terms of the nature and quality of emotional attachment that exists between infants and their caregivers. To understand the nature of adult attachment and its ramifications for individuals and their relationships, it is necessary to take a closer look at what developmental psychologists have uncovered about the nature of children's attachments to their caregivers. Attachment research has its origins during World War II. As a result of massive destruction and loss of life, many social service agencies began to wonder about the ramifications of the lack of maternal care. The World Health Organization asked John Bowlby, a British psychiatrist, to undertake a study of mental health problems of children who had been separated from their families and were cared for in hospitals, nurseries, and orphanages. Children with an anxious attachment form a generalized expectation that their caregivers cannot be reliably counted on to provide comfort in times of distress.
