Comparison of Attachment Theory and Cognitive-Motivational Structure Theory

Attachment theory and Cognitive-Motivational Structure (CMS) are similar in most respects. They differ primarily in their proposal of when, during development, one’s sense of the self and of the outside world are formed. I propose that the theories supplement each other after about age seven years—when Attachment theory's predictions of social function become unreliable, CMS theory comes into play.