Psychosocial development occurs as children form relationships, interact with others, and understand and manage their feelings. In social and emotional development, forming healthy attachments is very important and is the major social milestone of infancy.

As teenagers navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence, their relationships and emotional bonds are shaped by an invisible force that often goes unnoticed: their attachment style. This powerful influence, rooted in early childhood experiences, plays a crucial role in how teens interact with others, handle emotions, and form connections.

Attachment formation is considered a developmental process that continues far beyond infancy and early childhood. Yet the research on adolescent attachment formation remains relatively modest. This article reviews the normative and pathological developmental trajectories of attachment during adolescence.

Early attachment shapes brain development underlying emotion regulation. Given that sensitivity to affective cues is heightened during adolescence and effective emotion regulation strategies continue to develop, it is imperative to examine the role of early attachment and parental influence on adolescent regulation.

By focusing on mean-level changes at each age, we investigated a different developmental question, namely whether children became more or less secure on average. In doing so, our results provide the foundation for new kinds of inquiry on the development of attachment styles.