Attachment Theory and Research

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Edited by

Tommie Forslund

and

Robbie Duschinsky

This edition first published 2021

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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data Names: Forslund, Tommie, editor. | Duschinsky, Robbie, editor. Title: Attachment theory and research : a reader / Tommie Forslund, PhD, researcher in Developmental Psychology at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; researcher at SUF Resource Center, Region Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden, Robbie Duschinsky, Head of the Applied Social Science Group and Senior University Lecturer, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Fellow and Director of Studies, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, UK. Description: First edition. | Hoboken : Wiley, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020048348 (print) | LCCN 2020048349 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119657880 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119657897 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119657903 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Attachment behavior. | Developmental psychology. Classification: LCC BF575.A86 F67 2021 (print) | LCC BF575.A86 (ebook) | DDC 155.5/1241–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048348LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020048349

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Attachment theory originates in the work of the British psychoanalyst and child psychiatrist John Bowlby and the Canadian clinical psychologist Mary Ainsworth. Bowlby sought a scientific explanation for the affectional bonds that children form with their caregivers, as manifested by attempts to seek and maintain proximity to and comfort by their caregivers, and by negative reactions following prolonged separations and losses. He eventually formulated the core tenets of attachment by drawing from multiple scientific disciplines, including ethology, psychoanalysis and cognitive psychology (Van der Horst, 2011). Bowlby’s emphasis on the importance of early care may come across as self‐evident today. However, it was anything but an orthodox position when he formulated attachment theory, at which time the importance of children’s actual experiences with their caregivers were not sufficiently acknowledged (Bowlby, 1940, 1951, 1969/1982). Ainsworth, who collaborated closely with Bowlby, then extended his account by conducting extensive empirical observations of caregiver–child interaction, and by identifying individual differences in infants’ expectations of the availability of their caregivers (Ainsworth et al., 1978; Van Rosmalen et al., 2015, 2016).

Already in their lifetime, their work influenced various aspects of policy to do with children. One important shift to which they contributed was recognition of the negative effects of hospitalization for children when, as was common policy, their caregivers were not permitted to visit or allowed to visit only very irregularly (Bowlby et al., 1952; Van der Horst & Van der Veer, 2009). Ideas from attachment theory have also been influential for parents, teachers, child protection services and policy‐makers. Key concepts and ideas that entered into circulation included Bowlby’s emphasis on the importance of early care for socioemotional development, his concern about major separations of infants from their caregivers, and his emphasis on the value of continuity in child–caregiver relationships. Ainsworth’s ideas also gained recognition, particularly her identification of the importance of caregiver sensitivity for children’s socioemotional development. She is also known for her account of the sensitive caregiver as a “secure base” from which the child can explore the environment, and as a “safe haven” to which the child can return for comfort and protection. For instance, the “First 1000 Days” policy agenda acknowledges the developmental importance of early care, and makes explicit reference to attachment theory (House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, 2019). Further, preschool curricula often make reference to attachment theory and the importance of creating a secure base to facilitate children’s exploration and, through this, their learning.