From the Guidelines
Earned secure attachment is a process where individuals can develop secure attachment patterns later in life, beyond infancy and even into adolescence and adulthood, through meaningful relationships and therapeutic interventions. This concept is supported by recent studies, such as the one published in Pediatrics in 2021 1, which highlights the malleability of attachment beyond infancy.
Key Points
- Earned secure attachment involves developing healthy emotional bonds and transforming previous anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment styles.
- Therapeutic interventions, such as psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or attachment-based therapy, can facilitate this transformation by exploring attachment history and developing new relational patterns.
- Supportive relationships with consistent emotional availability and responsiveness are crucial for developing earned secure attachment.
- The neurobiological basis for this change involves the brain's neuroplasticity, allowing for the formation of new neural pathways related to emotional regulation and interpersonal trust, as noted in the context of trauma-informed care 1.
Developing Earned Secure Attachment
To develop earned secure attachment, individuals typically need to engage in self-awareness, be willing to be vulnerable, and consistently practice new relational skills. While earned secure attachment may not completely erase early attachment wounds, it can significantly improve emotional well-being, relationship satisfaction, and overall mental health, demonstrating that attachment patterns can evolve throughout life with appropriate support and intervention. The predictable compassionate availability of caregivers, as described in the study on trauma-informed care 1, promotes the secure attachment of individuals, which can be earned later in life through deliberate efforts and supportive relationships.
From the Research
Definition of Earned Secure Attachment
- Earned Secure Attachment (ESA) refers to the process by which individuals with insecure childhood attachment develop secure relationship patterns in adulthood, despite having experienced malevolent childhood experiences 2.
- It involves overcoming the effects of early negative life experiences, such as abuse, neglect, and other empathic failures, to develop a secure attachment style 3.
Mechanisms of Earned Secure Attachment
- Research suggests that earned secures may report better mentalizing, lower emotion dysregulation, and more secure attachment to figures other than parents than insecure individuals 4.
- Secure attachment to alternative attachment figures, along with some mentalization and emotional regulation aspects, may be considered significant factors for earning security 4.
- The therapeutic relationship can play a crucial role in helping individuals develop earned secure attachment, as it provides a reparative relationship that can assist in overcoming the effects of early negative life experiences 3.
Characteristics of Earned Secure Attachment
- Earned secures may exhibit secure attachments to their parents in adulthood, despite reporting inadequate care during childhood 4.
- They may also report better emotional regulation and some aspects of mentalization than insecure individuals 4.
- Earned secures may have a history of insecure attachments that change over time, and/or endure consistently harsh or ineffective parenting in their youth 5.
Development of Earned Secure Attachment
- The development of earned secure attachment may involve a process of positive attachment change, which can be facilitated by factors such as meta-conditions of positive attachment change, making intrapsychic changes, and making interpersonal changes 6.
- Clinical implications of earned secure attachment include the importance of clients committing to the process, working with a clinician trained in trauma-focused therapy, and clinicians being surrogate attachment figures for clients 6.