... in which prolonged separation from the partner is accompanied by stress and sorrow." Whilst this definition can be used to identify any or all of our attachments formed at any point during our lives, it is accepted that our primary attachment will act as a model for all future relationships. It is also widely accepted that the most crucial first attachment is usually taken to be with the mother or mother figure within the first 12 months of life. Helen Bee gives us another insight into the definitions of attachment when she writes about Ainsworth's attachment definitions. Bee (1998:128) defines the child-parent attachment bond as an in-equal one, using Ainsworth's (Ainsworth et al, 1978) definitions of affectional bonds and attachment behaviours. Ainsworth defines an affectional bond, as "a relatively long-enduring tie in which the partner is important as a unique individual, and is interchangeable with none other. In an affectional ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now