The term ‘stranger danger’ is a common term used to describe the response babies and young children have toward a stranger. If the child cannot engage in proximity seeking behaviors or find the caregiver when they are in distress, then the separation response – crying – is evoked.
These behaviors, also called proximity seeking behaviors, help to develop a secure attachment with their primary caregivers and lead to attachment behaviors such as seeking the primary caregiver when the child is upset or distressed.įor more reading regarding attachment, this article about Harlow’s Monkey Experiments is quite insightful. Separation Anxiety in Psychology: Bowlby’s Theoryīowlby’s (1958) evolutionary theory of attachment states that children are biologically predisposed to form attachments.īabies are born with the tendency to display certain innate behaviors called social releasers, which help ensure meaningful contact with the attachment figure (McLeod, 2017).
Therefore, knowing the theory behind this behavior and interventions is essential in helping prevent the anxiety from escalating. These behaviors can be distressing for parents and caregivers to witness. Separation anxiety is characterized by excessive anxiety upon being separated from major attachment figures such as parents.ĭespite its origins in childhood, separation anxiety can also persist into adolescence and adulthood and is a risk factor for developing more severe anxiety-related symptoms such as panic attacks and agoraphobia (Lewinsohn, Holm-Denoma, Small, Seeley, & Joiner, 2008).
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