ABSTRACT
Bowlby (1982), the pioneer of work on attachment, proposed that human infants are born with a repertoire of (attachment) behaviors designed by evolution to assure proximity to supportive others (attachment figures). This proximity provides a means of securing protection from physical and psychological threats. It also promotes affect regulation and healthy exploration (see also Mikulincer and Shaver 2005, and Berman and Sperling 1994 for the discussion). An individual’s desire to become strongly attached to select entities is a basic motivation among humans that begins in infancy and extends through adulthood (Bowlby 1973; Ainsworth et al. 1978; Reis and Patrick 1996).
