Contemporary Young Women's "Child-Rearing" Behavior from the Perspective of Attachment

As time progresses, the cloth dolls/toys that young women often hold have become cotton dolls that are as cute as children, with noses and eyes. These dolls are distinct from ordinary toys; they are more like real children. In the process of "raising children," doll mothers develop emotional bonds and a one-sided interactive relationship with their "children," substituting some of their attachment relationships in the adult world. To explore this, six cotton doll enthusiasts were interviewed, and the interview data were analyzed. The results show that "doll mothers" of all attachment types have an emotional dependency on cotton dolls, with the degree of dependency varying according to the attachment type. Cotton dolls serve a substitutive role in life, and the role they replace also varies with the attachment type. Securely attached individuals view cotton dolls as substitutes for friends, while those with insecure attachment consider them substitutes for lovers/children. This paper discusses this positive emotional connection, which is termed substitute attachment.