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16 American J. Crim. Just. 1 (1991)

handle is hein.journals/acnjrlocm16 and id is 1 raw text is: AJCJ, Vol. XVI, No. 1, (1991) ATTACHMENT AND SOCIAL BONDING IN MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM SECURITY PRISON INMATES Glenn D. Walters Federal Correctional Institution Fairton, New Jersey and Thomas W. White United States Penitentiary Leavenworth, Kansas ABSTRACT Attitudes towards social attachment and bonding were evaluated in groups of maximum (N=48) and bonding were evaluated in groups of maximum (N=46) security prison inmates and compared with the attitudes of a group of 49 noncriminal college students. Three primary styles of attachment were considered: avoidant, ambivalent/anxious, and secure. It was predicted that the maximum security condition, a group hypothesized to contain a large number of lifestyle criminals, would evidence more of an avoidant style of attachment compared to minimum security inmates or a group of college student controls. Consistent with this hypothesis, the maximum security inmates exhibited greater avoidance in their attitudes towards relationships than subjects in the other two conditions. The implications of these results are discussed. Attachment and Social Bonding in Maximum and Minimum Security Prison Inmates It has been argued that the attachment that were formed during infancy and childhood serve as a foundation for later interpersonal behavior (Bowlby, 1969, 1979). Ainsworth (1979) theorizes there are three basic styles of attachment: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent. Secure attachment results in a sense of interpersonal trust and feelings of comfort around others. The avoidant style, on the other hand, is characterized by an 1