Nested Attachment – Local community level

Traditional models of attachment focus on the relationship between the child and their caregivers.

As mentioned previously, there’s also the Nested Model of attachment proposed by Jessica Fern which suggests that attachment is shaped across many different levels of human experience.

Today I want to focus on the level of local culture and communities.

The local culture and communities level, which focuses on the culture and communities in which a person is embedded.

This local culture is made up of where we spend our time outside of the home, which may include:

• work
• school
• friend’s houses
• gym
• sports venues
• clubs
• religious/spiritual centers

When someone doesn’t fit into the norms or expectations of their community, they can experience attachment insecurity.

This happens if they fear being themselves will cause them harm or cause them to lose their community.

When people feel they have to conceal or change who they are to be accepted, this influences how they experience their relationships and attachments.

Online communities also fall into this level.

When these communities offer a chance to find people who look like them, speak their language, etc this can be deeply healing to a person’s sense of self and connection.

When these communities are toxic, full of bullying or become a substitute for human connection in the real world, they can erode healthy attachment.

School culture is another important aspect of this level.

Think of the damaging effects of a school with strong social hierarchies, mean girl culture, or bullying and hazing.

And alternatively, the healing and safety created by schools with zero tolerance policies on bullying, where there are GLSEN clubs, and the various cultures and languages of its students are honored.