Avoidant attachment describes infants who are usually not distressed by parental separation and who avoid the parent when she returns. Resistant attachment identifies infants who remain close to the parent before departure and display angry, resistive behavior when she returns. This pattern seems to reflect the greatest insecurity. The secure attachment pattern is the most common in all societies studied, but there are some cultural variations. German parents encourage their children to be independent, which may explain why more German infants show avoidant attachment than American babies.
Japanese infants display more resistant attachment patterns.
Japanese mothers rarely leave their babies in the care of strange people, which might cause the Strange Situation to be more stressful for these infants. These babies had emotional problems not because they were separated from their mothers, but because they were prevented from forming a bond with one or a few adults. It is possible that fully normal attachment development depends on establishing close bonds with caregivers during the first few years of life. Insecurely attached infants have mothers who dislike physical contact, handle them awkwardly, and behave insensitively when meeting the baby's needs. Avoidant infants tends to receive caregiving that is overstimulating and intrusive.