A Socio-Epistemic Theory of Attachment: Part I. Secure Attachment as Epistemic Trust and Its Place in Development

This article, written in honor of Mary Main’s legacy, introduces a new socio-epistemic theory ofattachment and attachment-related differences. Inspired by Main’s pioneering work on attention and discourse, we integrate insights from epistemic trust theory (Fonagy & Allison, 2014) and cognitive pragmatics (Sperber & Wilson, 1986) to argue that attachment patterns are not specifically adaptations to caregivers’ responsiveness to distress, but broader strategies for optimizing communication. Namely, we propose that attachment patterns reflect variations in epistemic trust towards the caregiver—the trust in the relevance and authenticity of interpersonal communication. Our framework helps explain key findings of attachment research, including the so-called 'intergenerational transmission of attachment,' as well as the association between attachment differences and a broad range of developmental outcomes seemingly unrelated to threats and safety, but to communication and learning. In Part I, we examine how infants adjust their epistemic trust in response to caregiver communication, shaping attachment patterns and later development. In Part II (forthcoming), we extend this model to a view of AAI classifications as differences in fostering epistemic trust. In Part III (forthcoming), we apply our perspective to explain AAI subclassifications, the unresolved AAI classification, mentalizing, and more, further celebrating Main’s legacy in attachment theory and research.