In some ways, our early life attachment sets the foundation for the relationships we will have for the rest of our lives. Our earliest relationships with our caregivers define how we can expect to interact with the world, setting our expectations for other relationships we have throughout our lives. However, these attachment relationships are malleable, and humans can be shaped by especially strong and supportive relationships later in our lives. In this section, we will cover early life attachments, internal working models, and how our early life attachments are related to relationships later in life.

In This Section:

• 17.1 Early Life Attachment
• 17.2 Attachment in Adulthood
• 17.3 Friendships and Peer Relationships
• 17.4 Romantic Relationships