Early attachment seems to affect subsequent development. By ages four to five, children who were securely attached as infants are usually more curious, more popular with peers, and less dependent on adults. As adults, they have high self-esteem and a strong sense of personal identity, although it does not appear that insecure attachment in infancy is necessarily linked with poor social adjustment or adulthood psychopathology.

Children usually develop the same kind of attachment to both parents. Attachment to the father is usually a function of play, and there is some evidence that fathers have closer relationships to sons than to daughters. Fathers also tend to stay home more when they have sons.

Prolonged Separation:

Children separated from the mother prior to three months of age show negative consequences ranging from little to none. Those separated at nine months exhibit moderate to extreme reactions including: feeding and sleeping problems, social withdrawal, increased stranger anxiety, and either physical rejection or extreme attachment to the new mother. Early institutionalization has the most negative impact when separation of the mother and child occurs in the second half of the first year. In this case, the infant may develop anaclitic depression, a syndrome involving developmental delays, unresponsiveness, and social withdrawal. Adverse effects are reduced if the child is given adequate attention and affection. In general, the longer the institutionalization, the greater the effects will be.

Stages of Prolonged Separation (Bowlby):

1. Protest - refuses to accept separation, demonstrated by crying, kicking and screaming
2. Despair - gives up all hope and withdraws
3. Detachment - seems less unhappy, accepts attention from others and may react with disinterest when visited by the caretaker