Co-construction of attachment in the first semester of life: the role of the other in this constitution

Abstract The survival of a human baby is enabled by the attachment behavioral system, as babies seek proximity, directing attachment mediator behaviors toward a figure who provides security. Reflections from the existence of a primary intersubjectivity and evidence of more refined abilities than what was known at the time in which Bowlby formulated this theory conducted us to the hypothesis that attachment is perceived before the period he proposed. We performed a case study in which we analyzed video-recordings from Marina’s six months of life. Episodes of differential behavior towards a figure were selected and micro-genetically transcribed. Moreover, mediator behaviors with each of the baby’s caregivers were mapped. Results suggested differential behavior towards a discriminated figure since her third month. The dialogical and cultural processes that reverberated in selecting the mother as the attachment figure were discussed. (AU)