The origins and development of attachment object behaviour

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Sentimental object attachment is a phenomenon that begins early in childhood. It is widely theorised that children develop emotional attachment to specific objects as a maternal substitute which varies across cultures and socioeconomic conditions. While the need for these objects should diminish as the child becomes more independent, there is a growing body of work showing that object attachment may persist into adulthood. The reasons for this sustainment are not known but childhood object attachment is associated with a bias for unique individuals which subsequently influences preferences for authentic objects in adulthood.

Introduction

Many children form strong emotional attachments to teddy bears, blankets or pillows where they become distressed if they are separated. Winnicott [1] first described these objects as ‘transitional,’ reflecting his psychoanalytic perspective that these items served as a mechanism to enable the child to develop emotional distance from the mother. Hence, separation from the object was symbolic separation from the mother. Similarly, Bowlby [2] termed these items ‘attachment objects’ (AOs) and suggested that they are used as a maternal substitute in absence of the mother.

It is noteworthy that this behaviour is not unique to humans. Harry Harlow famously demonstrated that young infant rhesus monkeys would also form a strong emotional attachment to a terry cloth artificial ‘mother’ in preference to a wire cage mother that dispensed milk [3]. The infant monkey visited the wire mother only when it required food and returned to the cloth-covered mother when fed. This led him to suggest that attachment arises primarily as a function of tactile comfort as opposed to nourishment. Our 2019 survey of BBC television viewers generated over 1000 responses from dog owners indicating similar patterns of emotional attachment to objects suggesting that it may be a feature of young domesticated social animals [4].

A plausible behavioural explanation for this phenomenon is that AOs provide comfort and security by reducing separation anxiety [5,6]. This interpretation is supported by studies that show that children who have their AOs in the room when the mother is not present, play and explore for the same length of time as children whose mothers is present, without showing signs of distress [7, 8, 9]. Moreover, mothers and AOs equally mitigate children’s distress when undergoing medical procedures compared to children who had AOs but did not have them present [10].

Section snippets

Patterns of object attachment in childhood

This behaviour usually manifests during the first year of life at the time of going to sleep but depends on the cultural practice associated with sleeping. In Hong and Townes [11] comparison of Korean and US children, almost all Korean children slept in the same room with the mother, whereas most of the American infants slept alone or with siblings by the end of six months. This may explain why the incidence of AO is much more prevalent in Western compared to Eastern cultures where children are

Underlying reasons behind emotional attachment to objects

Although AOs may be acquired through either maternal separation or as a source of comfort, what is remarkable is the nature of the relationship. In Guatemala, children have traditionally been given ‘worry dolls’ in order for them to share their concerns and place under their pillow. So, the AO may provide an opportunity to express anxieties with. Some children anthropomorphize their AOs, as one author (BH) noted that his daughter would frequently express concerns and talk about her AO as if it

Object attachment extending beyond childhood

Traditional AO theory dictates that if emotional attachment to the AO arises from separation anxiety, the need for this object should decrease as a child matures, leading to increased autonomy [1]. In a review of various studies, Litt [14] concluded that the average age of abandoning the AO across cultures is around seven years. However, there have been studies documenting evidence of AO ownership retention through adolescence, and even adulthood. For instance, Bachar et al. [26] reported that

Conclusions

In conclusion, attachment to objects is a fairly common phenomenon that probably arises as a consequence of separation from the mother. Objects tend to be acquired early in toddlers but can be retained well into adulthood. These objects not only provide a source of comfort for children but may enable them to process anxieties and concerns. How and why object attachment persists into adulthood remains unknown, but remarkably, each object tends to be regarded as a unique and irreplaceable

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of interest statement

Nothing declared.

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