:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
The difference isn't how much distress a child shows — it's whether they have a strategy. Secure infants have one coherent way to seek comfort. Disorganized infants have no workable strategy at all, because the two obvious ones point at the same person.
Side by side
| Aspect | Disorganized | Secure |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy | None coherent | One that works |
| On reunion | Approach and freeze | Approach and settle |
| Caregiver is | Fear and remedy | Remedy |
| Status | A classification | A classification |
What each one means
Disorganized attachment is a Strange Situation classification for a child whose behaviour has no workable strategy in it — approaching and avoiding at once, freezing mid-movement, or plain disorientation. The leading account is that the person they would go to for comfort is also a source of their alarm.
Full definition of Disorganized Attachment →The contrast above sets out how Secure differs from Disorganized Attachment on the points that actually matter.