attachment disorders
Impaired relational development
Attachment disorders are psychological conditions in which a child fails to form healthy emotional bonds with caregivers, typically resulting from early neglect, abuse, or inconsistent care.
The two main types are reactive attachment disorder, marked by emotional withdrawal, and disinhibited social engagement disorder, characterized by indiscriminate friendliness toward strangers.
Children in foster care are screened for attachment disorders.
The term sometimes appears loosely in adult contexts to describe difficulty forming intimate relationships.
Act of leaving permanently
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- orphanageInstitution housing parentless children
- foster careSupervised substitute parenting
- separationState of being apart
loss · rejection · emotional neglect · maltreatment · betrayal · instability · unpredictability · intergenerational trauma
Psychotherapy using games
- EMDRTrauma therapy using eye movements
- family therapyTreatment involving related members
- psychotherapyTreatment through guided conversation
- counselingProfessional guidance for problems
reparenting · emotional regulation · attunement · caregiver training
Science of lifelong human change
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- secure baseReliable attachment figure
- safe havenProtected place of shelter
- mentalizationUnderstanding behavior through thoughts
Heightened threat sensitivity
- emotional dysregulationPoor control over feelings
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- avoidanceDeliberate keeping away
withdrawal · aggression · self-sabotage · people-pleasing · fear of abandonment · emotional numbness · jealousy · possessiveness
Excessive need for closeness
- enmeshmentBoundary-blurring relational pattern
- overdependenceExcessive need for support
- emotional withdrawalRetreating from feeling connection
- aloofnessEmotional unavailability, standoffishness
indifference · disconnection · ambivalence · fearfulness · distrust · lack of empathy · inconsistency · separation anxiety
abandonment
Act of leaving permanently
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- orphanageInstitution housing parentless children
- foster careSupervised substitute parenting
separation · loss · rejection · emotional neglect · maltreatment · betrayal · instability · unpredictability · intergenerational trauma · complex trauma
play therapy
Psychotherapy using games
- EMDRTrauma therapy using eye movements
- family therapyTreatment involving related members
- psychotherapyTreatment through guided conversation
counseling · reparenting · emotional regulation · attunement · caregiver training
developmental psychology
Science of lifelong human change
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- secure baseReliable attachment figure
- safe havenProtected place of shelter
hypervigilance
Heightened threat sensitivity
- emotional dysregulationPoor control over feelings
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
avoidance · withdrawal · aggression · self-sabotage · people-pleasing · fear of abandonment · emotional numbness · jealousy · possessiveness · isolation
clinginess
Excessive need for closeness
- enmeshmentBoundary-blurring relational pattern
- overdependenceExcessive need for support
- emotional withdrawalRetreating from feeling connection
aloofness · indifference · disconnection · ambivalence · fearfulness · distrust · lack of empathy · inconsistency · separation anxiety · institutional care
attachment disordersemotional well-being
Healthy state of feelings
psychological health · mental wellness · emotional resilience
attachment, disorder, attach, attached, attaching, attachable, detach, detached, detachment