Allan Schore writes that psychobiological attunement is thought to be mechanism that facilitates the formation of the attachment bond. The infant attaches to the caregiver who enables the infant to enter states of positive affect, while reducing states of negative affect. Interest and pleasure are the positive emotions that indicate affect attunement. Affect motivates attachment. The main adaptive function of the attachment dyad is to create and maintain pleasurable states of ‘interest-excitement’ and ‘enjoyment-joy’. These states also motivate the formation of the bond.
John Bowlby noted that vision is central to the establishment of primary attachment and imprinting is the learning mechanism that creates this bond. Attachment is built into the nervous system as a result of the infant’s interaction with the mother. The baby’s brain requires the context of a positive affective relationship with the caregiver in order to grow. Older brains engage with awareness, emotion and interest in younger brains. The mother’s face is triggering high levels of opiates the growing child’s brain. These endorphins link pleasure with social interaction and attachment.