Attachment Theory The bond between a child and his or her caregiver is based on the child's need for safety, security and protection, which is fundamental in childhood and childhood (Bretherton, 1992). The ability to form emotional bonds early in childhood development is a critical component of emotional development and a predictor of later interpersonal functioning (Hutchinson, 2013). John Bowlby, who initially began his study of attachment by observing animals, proposed that infants instinctively attach to their caregivers. Evolutionarily, those who are able to remain close and attached to their caregivers are more likely to survive into the reproductive stages and develop healthy attachments in their adulthood (Fraley, 2004; Hutchinson, 2013). He concluded that it is the baby who initiates the bonding sequence, but it is the mother's behaviors that strengthen the bond (Hutchinson, 2013). Mary Ainsworth was Bowlby's most famous collaborator in explaining human attachment and conducted experiments that demonstrated that affective bonds between infants and caregivers are persistent and not transitory (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wall, 1978). His upbringing in an upper-middle-class London family, which included a nanny, an absent mother and boarding school at the age of seven, as well as time spent working as a volunteer at a school for misfit children, John Bowlby developed the attachment theory (Bretherton, 1992). Her conclusion, based on her research and available empirical evidence, was that for an infant and toddler to grow up mentally healthy, they should experience a warm, intimate, and ongoing relationship with their mother or permanent caregiver. If this could be accomplished, both the child and the person who cares for him or her would experience satisfaction and enjoyment (Bowlby, 1951)....... half of the paper...... Sixty percent of children develop a secure attachment, as demonstrated through their ability to explore their environment in positive ways and use skills acquired during attachment development to have positive interactions with their peers, develop close friendships as they age, and cope with life in a mentally healthy way. Although Richard cannot remember his early childhood, he has demonstrated that he and his mother were successful in formulating a secure attachment, as evidenced by his ability to healthily manage relationships and achieve career success throughout his life...