Which term best describes an attachment style characterized by insecurity and cautiousness toward unfamiliar people?

Which term best describes an attachment style characterized by insecurity and cautiousness toward unfamiliar people?

• A. Anxious Avoidant Attachment
• B. Temperament
• C. Anxious-Resistant Attachment
• D. Play

Answer: (C)

Anxious-resistant attachment describes a pattern where a child shows insecurity and wariness around unfamiliar people. This style includes a strong desire for closeness to the caregiver paired with anxiety about the caregiver’s availability, which often leads to cautious or hesitant behavior with strangers. It fits the description of insecurity and caution toward new people because the child is unsure about whether others can be trusted to provide safety, especially in new social situations. The other options don’t fit as well: anxious-avoidant attachment involves avoiding closeness and not seeking comfort from the caregiver, not marked by insecurity around strangers; temperament refers to broad, innate personality traits rather than a specific attachment pattern; play is not an attachment style.

Anxious-resistant attachment describes a pattern where a child shows insecurity and wariness around unfamiliar people. This style includes a strong desire for closeness to the caregiver paired with anxiety about the caregiver’s availability, which often leads to cautious or hesitant behavior with strangers. It fits the description of insecurity and caution toward new people because the child is unsure about whether others can be trusted to provide safety, especially in new social situations.

The other options don’t fit as well: anxious-avoidant attachment involves avoiding closeness and not seeking comfort from the caregiver, not marked by insecurity around strangers; temperament refers to broad, innate personality traits rather than a specific attachment pattern; play is not an attachment style.