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Major Movements in Psychology

Attachment Theory

How can the three child attachment styles be mapped onto Mary Main’s three adult attachment styles?

Main developed three attachment classifications to correspond with the three infant classifications. She labeled them D,E, and F to match Ainsworth’s A, B, and C. Dismissing adults (D) were hypothesized to correspond to avoidant babies (A); Enmeshed adults (E) to correspond to resistant babies (C); and Secure adults (F for Free) to correspond with secure babies (B). The enmeshed classification was later changed to preoccupied.