What is The Circle of Security?

T

he Circle of Security is a visual map of attachment. The “father” of attachment theory, John Bowlby, said this about attachment: "Intimate attachments to other human beings are the hub around which a person's life revolves, not only as an infant or a toddler or a schoolchild but throughout adolescence and years of maturity as well, and on into old age. From these intimate attachments a person draws strength and enjoyment of life and, through what he contributes, gives strength and enjoyment to others. These are matters about which current science and traditional wisdom are at one." (Bowlby, J. (1980) Attachment and Loss: Volume 1. Attachment. Basic Books: New York.)

Figure 1: The Circle of Security for the toddler and preschool years.

At Circle of Security International, we focus on training providers with many different backgrounds and from many different disciplines to help caregivers connect with the children in their lives. The Circle of Security figure is a central visual used as part of interventions for caregivers, all of which are focused on helping caregivers reflect upon children’s attachment needs in order to promote secure attachment with a child.

The following video uses some of our graphics to make the case for why the Circle of Security is important for caregivers to think about:

Here are some founding principles that underlie the Circle of Security models of intervention:

Languages, Materials & Translations

Since the original COSP program was released in 2010, the video and all materials have been translated into these languages: Cantonese, Danish, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Romanian, Spanish and Swedish.

We have partial translations (either full video translations but not all materials or sub-titled video translations) in these languages: Arabic, Estonian, Hebrew and Turkish.

Below, you will find translation of our basic Circle graphic in many of these languages plus others.

One of our goals at Circle of Security International is to assist providers from various helping professions in introducing others to the principles of attachment. Our handouts can be useful tools for such introductions and are provided here for download to be used for caregiver support.

For specific requests related to publishing COSI materials, including the Circle of Security diagram, please email angie[at]circleofsecurityinternational[dot]com to receive a permission request agreement. You will be asked to submit a summary or excerpt from your publication, and approval is given only to nonprofit organizations and academic/professional publications. Please allow at least 4 weeks for review and approval.

The Circle of Security Materials

Adolescent Circle of Security Diagram - English
Adolescent Circle of Security Diagram - Swedish
Security in 25 Words or Less
COS: Full Circle

The Circle of Security Diagram