Which type of attachment is marked by an infant avoiding connection with the caregiver?

Insecure-avoidant attachment is characterized by an infant's tendency to avoid seeking closeness or connection with their caregiver. This attachment style typically develops in response to caregivers who are inconsistently available or emotionally distant. As a result, these infants learn to suppress their needs for comfort and support, often appearing indifferent to the caregiver's presence or absence.

When caregivers are not responsive to their emotional needs, infants may develop a sense of self-reliance but at the cost of emotional connection. They may show minimal distress when the caregiver leaves and avoid engaging with them upon their return. This behavior reflects a defensive strategy to cope with the caregiver's unresponsiveness, leading to a pattern where the child does not feel safe reaching out for closeness.

Other attachment styles differ significantly; secure attachment, for example, involves children feeling safe to explore their environment while knowing they can return to their caregiver for comfort. Goodness of fit refers to the compatibility between a child's temperament and their caregiving environment, while synchronized attachment describes the mutual responsiveness between caregiver and child. These concepts do not pertain to avoidance behavior, which is specific to insecure-avoidant attachment.