Stages of Attachment
Stage 1 – Indiscriminate Attachment (Asocial)
• 0 – 2 months
• Similar responses to animate + inanimate objects
• Towards the end of the period they begin to show greater
preferences to social stimuli
• More content when with others
• Reciprocity + interactional synchrony play a role in
establishing relationships
Stage 2 – Beginning of Attachment
• 4 months
• Prefer human company to inanimate objects
• Can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar
people
• Comfortable around anyone, hasn’t developed
stranger anxiety
• General sociability
Stage 3 – Discriminate Attachment
• 7 months
• Display separation anxiety
• Formed a specific attachment to their
primary attachment figure
• Display stranger anxiety
Schaffer + Emerson
• 65% the specific attachment was the
mother
• 30% the other was first joint object of
attachment
• Fathers were rarely the first sole object
of attachment (3%)
• 27% of fathers were the first joint object
Stage 4 – Multiple Attachments
• Soon after main attachment
• Wider circle depending on the relationships
already displayed
Stage 1 – Indiscriminate Attachment (Asocial)
• 0 – 2 months
• Similar responses to animate + inanimate objects
• Towards the end of the period they begin to show greater
preferences to social stimuli
• More content when with others
• Reciprocity + interactional synchrony play a role in
establishing relationships
Stage 2 – Beginning of Attachment
• 4 months
• Prefer human company to inanimate objects
• Can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar
people
• Comfortable around anyone, hasn’t developed
stranger anxiety
• General sociability
Stage 3 – Discriminate Attachment
• 7 months
• Display separation anxiety
• Formed a specific attachment to their
primary attachment figure
• Display stranger anxiety
Schaffer + Emerson
• 65% the specific attachment was the
mother
• 30% the other was first joint object of
attachment
• Fathers were rarely the first sole object
of attachment (3%)
• 27% of fathers were the first joint object
Stage 4 – Multiple Attachments
• Soon after main attachment
• Wider circle depending on the relationships
already displayed
