ChoiceHub
Sign in
A 15-month-old girl is observed in a research playroom during brief separations from and reunions with her mother. On each reunion she runs towards her mother, then stops midway, turns her back and freezes for several seconds before rocking on the spot. She has lived with her mother since birth and is physically well grown. Her mother startles at loud noises, shouts at the child unpredictably, and at other times appears frightened of her. Which one of the following attachment patterns does the child's behaviour illustrate?
Shared by Mornienmiddle twist

Keep going — a set of ten like this one, one at a time.

Practise more

More from Psychiatry

See all

A 34-year-old man who came to Australia from Somalia six years ago is reviewed by his general practitioner for a depressive episode. After eight weeks of sertra…

Pre-internship · niche

A 40-year-old man who came to Australia from Iraq as a refugee eight years ago attends a general practice with six months of broken sleep, nightmares and daily…

Clinical rotations · middle twist

A 71-year-old woman who migrated from Hong Kong 40 years ago is admitted to a psychiatric ward with a severe depressive episode. She speaks Cantonese and almost…

Pre-internship · middle twist

A metropolitan mental health service is examining why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inpatients leave the ward against medical advice far more often than…

Clinical rotations · middle twist

A 52-year-old man born in Vietnam, who has had schizophrenia for 25 years, comes to an emergency department with six hours of epigastric pain. He speaks limited…

Pre-internship · niche