Stability and change of attachment was examined longitudinally in a group of 48 children at
14, 24, and 58 months of age. Whereas attachment classifications showed stability between
14 and 24 months, lack of stability was the case between either 14 or 24 months and 58
months. Mothers of children who did not exhibit stability of attachment reported more
negative and less positive life events. No correspondence was found between attachment
classification at 14 or 24 months and mental representations at 58 months. However there
was agreement between representational and behavioral measures of attachment at 58
months, where mental representations of attachment appeared to mirror and complement
behavioral classification of the attachment relationship with the mother. Evidence for
continuity of attachment from infancy to childhood internal representations was found only
in a subgroup of children who showed stability of secure attachment between infancy and 58
months of age. These children exhibited greater Emotional Openness in the SAT at 4.5 years.
Findings are discussed in terms of different positions in attachment theory and research
regarding the stability and change of attachment relationships.