What is attachment and how does it affect our emotional health?

The concept of attachment has been widely popularised in recent years. Nevertheless, it's often used in a simplified manner to explain any relational difficulties.

Understanding what attachment really is helps us better understand our way of feeling, thinking and interviewing ourselves.

Attachment as a basic human necessity

The attachment is a biological system related to the search for protection, safety and care.

From the first months of our lives we depend on our care providers to survive and to learn how to regulate our emotions.

Apego and mentalization capacity

The early experiences have an impact on our ability to understand our emotions and those of other people.

When a secure basis exists we usually develop an increased capacity to recognize emotional states, tolerate uncertainty and build good relations.

The relationship between attachment and memory

Our attachment story also influences how we remember and integrate our experiences.

People who have been more secure tend to have more easy access to significant memories of their childhood, even though these have been painful experiences.

A lot more than a label

As Manuel Hernández states in Apego and psychopathology: Anxiety and its Origin (2019), attachment cannot be reduced to a simple classification or to an observable set of behaviours.

It's a complex organisation that includes aspects related to emotional regulation, memory, mentalization and perception of safety.

References

Hernández, M. (2019). Apego and psychopathology: Anxiety and its Origin. Bilbao: Editorial Desclée de Brouwer, S.A.

Image: @ carlotagtouet