What are the main attachment patterns identified in the strange situation?

• A. Secure, anxious-avoidant, anxious-ambivalent, and disorganized/disoriented.
• B. Secure, anxious, resistant, and indifferent.
• C. Secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disoriented.
• D. Secure and insecure only.

Answer: (A)

The main concept here is how the Strange Situation identifies attachment patterns based on a child’s behavior during separations and reunions with the caregiver. The four patterns researchers observed are secure; insecure-avoidant (anxious-avoidant); insecure-resistant or anxious-ambivalent (anxious-ambivalent); and disorganized/disoriented.

Secure children use the caregiver as a base, showing distress when the caregiver leaves but then seeking comfort and resuming exploration when they return. Insecure-avoidant children tend to show little distress during separations and minimize contact with the caregiver upon reunion. Insecure-resistant or anxious-ambivalent children are highly distressed by separations and, on reunion, may cling to the caregiver but also resist comforting efforts. Disorganized/disoriented children display inconsistent, disoriented, or contradictory behaviors, often tied to caregiver-related fear or chaotic caregiving.

The listed set matches this framework by including secure, anxious-avoidant, anxious-ambivalent, and disorganized/disoriented, using terminology that aligns with the standard four patterns. The other options either omit a pattern, use less precise labels, or collapse patterns in a way that doesn’t reflect the established four-pattern structure.