The aim of this chapter is to introduce attachment theory (Bowlby, 1997 [1969]) in terms of context-specific attachment styles, and the stability and changeability of attachment style.

An attachment relationship exists not only between children and parents, but also in other relationship contexts. Bowlby (1997 [1969]) has suggested that when people cannot build a securely attached relationship with their primary caregivers, they will try to find secondary attachment figures. Moreover, when individuals grow up, their life domain is not restricted to their family, parents or primary caregivers. An individual's attachment behaviour may be directed to persons, groups or institutions other than the family, and these targets can serve as subordinate attachment figures or principal attachment figures for some people. This proposition suggests that a context-specific attachment relationship is more proximal to influencing behaviour in that specific context, which provides the necessary background for understanding attachment relationships at work when discussing employees’ proactive behaviour.

This issue also implies the changeability of attachment style. Although attachment style and the internal working models developed from early life experiences are relatively stable and constitute one's personal characteristics, attachment theory also posits that people's attachment style and internal working models can be changed when they encounter different experiences. This proposition addresses the issue of psychosocial development and suggests opportunities for personal interventions.

Attachment style in different social contexts

Although attachment theory suggests that an individual's attachment style is primarily shaped by interaction experiences with primary caregivers, it also suggests that an individual can have different attachment relationships with different persons and thus form different attachment styles across different contexts. Specifically, Bowlby stated:

Several empirical studies have supported this view by examining attachment to family, friends and partners (Overall et al, 2003; Sibley and Overall, 2008), attachment to supervisors (Game, 2008), attachment at work (Neustadt et al, 2006), attachment toward social groups (Smith et al, 1999) and attachment to God (Granqvist and Kirkpatrick, 2008).