Mary Main
Encyclopedia
Mary Main is a researcher at University of California, Berkeley
who, with colleagues, identified and empiricized a fourth attachment style in children
, namely an insecure disorganized attachment style. It can be characterized by a lack of a coherent 'organized' behavioral strategy for dealing with the stresses during the Strange Situation Protocol.
There is a growing body of research on the links between abnormal parenting, disorganized attachment and risks for later psychopathologies. Abuse
is associated with disorganized attachment. The disorganized style is a risk factor for a range of psychological disorders although it is not in itself considered an attachment disorder under the current classification.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
who, with colleagues, identified and empiricized a fourth attachment style in children
Attachment in children
Newborn humans infants cannot survive without a caregiver to provide food and protection, and will not thrive without other types of support as well. While infants have relatively few inborn behaviors—such as crying, rooting, and sucking—they also come with many behavioral systems ready to be...
, namely an insecure disorganized attachment style. It can be characterized by a lack of a coherent 'organized' behavioral strategy for dealing with the stresses during the Strange Situation Protocol.
There is a growing body of research on the links between abnormal parenting, disorganized attachment and risks for later psychopathologies. Abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
is associated with disorganized attachment. The disorganized style is a risk factor for a range of psychological disorders although it is not in itself considered an attachment disorder under the current classification.
Further reading
- Main, M., Hesse, E., & Kaplan, N. (2005). Predictability of attachment behaviour and representational processes at 1, 6, and 18 years of age: The Berkeley Longitudinal Study. In K.E. Grossmann, K. Grossmann & E. Waters (Eds.), Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood. pp. 245–304. New York: Guilford Press.
- Main, M., & Solomon, J. (1990). Procedures for identifying infants as disorganized/disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. In M.T. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti & E.M. Cummings, Attachment during the preschool years: Theory, research and intervention. pp. 121–160. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.