As developmental psychologists, we are taught about attachment styles early in our education. When we are educated about different attachment styles, we are often too quick to move on to the next topic of study rather than internalizing what we have learned. The attachment styles we develop as children are crucial to many aspects of our lives and development, and can tell us many things about ourselves through adolescence and adulthood. Attachment in peer relationships, romantic relationships, and family structure can help or hinder parts of our identity development. Attachment may also explain or predict certain behaviors we may observe as we age and the possible impact those behaviors have on the development of our identity in adolescence. My goal is to explain the types of attachment observed in both children and adults and illustrate how they relate to identity formation across the lifespan. I will then use what I have learned introspectively and connect my findings about attachment styles and identity development to my personal life story for analysis. In 1970, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth designed a study in hopes of classifying the various types of attachment observed in children (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970). The study consisted of a parent and a 12-18 month old baby entering a strange but attractive room full of toys. On multiple occasions, the mother would leave and a stranger would come in and try to console the child, who was upset about the mother's departure. The mother would then return and the child's behavior would be recorded. The researchers labeled the behavior patterns of the children in the study as "odd situation classifications" and focused on four behaviors: separation anxiety... half of the paper... these young people show concern about being abandoned, taken, take advantage or fail to satisfy their need for a great sense of security, possibly due to their experiences with higher levels of anxiety. Relationships characterized by excessive emotional involvement lead to defining the person's identity mainly in terms of the relationship itself” (Avila, Cabral and Matos, 2002). This really struck me. I put too much of myself into all my relationships and when they dissolve I completely lose my identity. I think I've improved tremendously since high school, but I still have to be careful with myself. This showed me exactly what not to do; which unfortunately is exactly what I did. My anxious attachment affects everything I do and every relationship I have. Based on my findings, almost everyone with anxious attachments feels the same way.