In psychology, an affectional bond is a type of attachment behavior one individual has for another individual,[1] typically a caregiver for their child,[2] in which the two partners tend to remain in proximity to one another.[1][3] The term was coined and subsequently developed over the course of four decades, from the early 1940s to the late 1970s, by psychologist John Bowlby in his work on attachment theory.[4] The core of the term affectional bond, according to Bowlby, is the attraction one individual has for another individual. The central features of the concept of affectional bonding can be traced to Bowlby's 1958 paper, "The Nature of the Child's Tie to his Mother".[5]
An affectional bond in which the individual relies on the partner as a source of protection when distressed and encouragement when challenged.
In its original sense, attachment refers to the mother-infant bond that, according to John Bowlby, has a biological instinctual basis. Today, the term is also used to refer to the affectional bonds established in other relationships.