ABSTRACT
The conceptual and methodological approach to the study of mother–infant attachment represented by the work of Ainsworth and her colleagues has promoted the empirical study of this important topic and offered the field a broad heuristic framework. However, the A–B–C classification system for summarizing Strange Situation behavior has been criticized because it promotes overly restrictive notions of what constitute important markers of individual differences in attachment system functioning—i.e., reunion behavior toward the caretaker (Connell & Goldsmith, 1982; Campos et al., 1983; Lamb et al., 1984; this volume)—and because it ignores the possibility of developmental change in the meaning and markers of secure attachment over the second year of life (Connell, 1984) and in different cultures (Sagi, 1984).
