Attachment figure

Attachment theory is a psychological theory that provides a descriptive and explanatory framework for discussion of affectionate relationships between human beings. Most of attachment theory as we know it today is derived from the work of John Bowlby and stresses the attitudes and behaviors of young children toward their adult caregivers. However, a wide variety of social behaviors, occurring at all ages, is subsumed under the term "attachment". These behaviors can include care-seeking by children or others, peer relationships of all ages, romantic and sexual attraction, and responses to the care needs of infants or sick or elderly adults. Attachment behaviors are accompanied by emotional experiences that motivate the behavior, as well as by cognitive and memory functions.
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