SOCIAL AND INDIVIDUAL DETERMINANTS OF INFANT ATTACHMENT SECURITY AND DISORGANIZATION

The aim of this study was to assess individual and social antecedents of attachment security and attachment disorganization of infants as as sessed by the Strange Situation. Observations from two longitudinal st udies, with a parallel assessment schedule yielding a total sample of 88 infant-mother pairs, formed the database of the study. Newborn beha vioral organization, in terms of orienting ability and regulation of s tate, and maternal sensitivity assessed several times during the infan t's first year were used to predict the security of infant-mother atta chment and the status of disorganization of attachment behavior strate gies at the age of 12 months. Whereas attachment security was signific antly associated only with maternal sensitivity, the status of disorga nization was only predicted by newborn behavioral organization. The fi ndings are discussed with respect to specific assumptions about indivi dual and social contribution to the development of infant-mother attac hment on the background of maternal attachment representation.