Attachment to Parents during Adolescence and Its Impact on Their Psychological and Social Adjustment

Abstract

The notion of attachment has been defined in different ways, but something which is identical in all definitions is that attachment is an essential ingredient for normal Human Development. From a developmental perspective, attachment theory has served as an important framework in understanding relationships throughout the lifespan. Attachment theory explains how individuals cope with conflict and assume various interpretations from the behaviors of others. From the experiences of early attachment relationships with a primary caregiver, the internal working model (IWM) becomes a mental representation of expectations and beliefs about the self in relation to others. The parent-child relationship serves as a prototype for future relationships of the child. It is this first relationship that the child uses as a template to apply to future relationship experiences. In short, the qualities of early relationships predict later relationships, and success in later relation-ships takes root in lifespan development. The present article provides a brief synopsis of the changes that occur during adolescence and describes what attachment is, why it continues to be important and how it is transformed during adolescence. It summarizes major findings on the impact of attachment on adolescent adjustment and discusses strategies for supporting healthy adolescent-parent attachment and also describes the secure and insecure attachments, patterns during adolescence towards parents and impact on their social & Psychological adjustment.