J Korean Med Assoc.  2008 Apr;51(4):357-362. 10.5124/jkma.2008.51.4.357.

The Past, Present, and Future of Attachment Theory

• Bahn GH

• KMID: 2185744
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2008.51.4.357

Abstract

The attachment theory, which was developed half a century ago by a British psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, John Bowlby, is the most fundamental theory for raising infants and children. His colleagues, Mary Ainsworth and James Robertson, contributed to proving Bowlby's theory with scientific ways. Many neo- Bowlbyans continue to apply theories for raising children and also for use in clinical practices. Attachment refers to the process by which people develop specific, positive emotional bonds with others. When suitably formed, people want to keep proximity with an attached object, feel safety from the object as a secure base, and resist when separated. In general, attachment has developed between infants and caregivers, mainly mothers. It usually continues till adulthood and sometimes until the next generation. Attachment is an individual affectional bond, and also can be an influential factor to decide the social policies of related realms. Therefore, the attachment theory provides very useful knowledge for child rearing parents, very practical data for doctors and allied professionals, and also very important decision framework for social policy makers.

Keyword

Psychoanalysis; Attachment; Bowlby

MeSH Terms

Caregivers
Child
Child Rearing
Humans
Infant
Mothers
Object Attachment
Parents
Psychiatry
Psychoanalysis
Public Policy

Reference

1. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. 1969. New York: Basic Books.

2. Turk J, Graham P, Verhulst FC. Child and adolescent: A developmental approach. 2007. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press;199–201.

3. http://kosis.nso.go.kr/Magazine/NEW/KL/KL030201.xls. 23 Feb 2008.

4. Holmes J. John Bowlby and attachment theory. 1993. New York: Routledge.

5. Robertson J. A two-year-old goes to hospital [film]. 1952. University Park, PA: Penn State Audio Visual Services.

6. Karen R. Becoming attached: First relationships and how they shape our capacity to love. 1998. New York: Oxford University Press;129–173.

7. Bowlby J. Forty-four juvenile thieves: Their characteristics and home life. Int J Psychoanal. 1944. 25:19–52.

8. Bowlby J. Maternal care and mental health. WHO Monograph Series, No 2. 1951. Geneva: WHO.

9. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation. 1973. New York: Basic Books.

10. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss: Vol. 3. Loss. 1980. New York: Basic Books.

11. Bowlby J. Charles Darwin: A new life. 1991. New York: Norton.

12. Ainsworth MDS, Blehar MC, Waters E, Wall S. Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. 1978. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

13. Main M, Solomon J. Greenberg M, Cicchetti D, Cummings EM, editors. Procedures for identifying infants as disorganized/ disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Attachment during the preschool years: theory, research and intervention. 1990. Chicago: University of Chicago Press;121–160.

14. Fonagy P. Attachment theory and psychoanalysis. 2001. New York: Other Press.

15. Hesse E. Cassidy J, Shaver PR, editors. The adult attachment interview: Historical and current perspectives. Handbook of attachment: theory, research, and clinical applications. 1999. New York: Guilford Press;395–433.

16. Hesse E. Discourse, memory, and the Adult Attachment Interview: A note with emphasis on the emerging cannot classify category. Infant Ment Health J. 1996. 17:4–11.

17. Fonagy P, Steele H, Steele M. Maternal representations of infantmother attachment at one year of age. Child Dev. 1991. 62:891–905.

18. Pietromonaco PR, Barrett LF. Working models of attachment and daily social interactions. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997. 73:1409–1423.

19. Main M, Goldwyn R. Predicting rejection of her infant from mother's representation of her own experience: Implications for the abused-abusing intergenerational cycle. Child Abuse Negl. 1984. 8:203–217.

20. Slade A. Cassidy J, Shaver PR, editors. Attachment theory and research: Implications for the theory and practice of individual psychotherapy with adults. Handbook of attachment: theory, research, and clinical applications. 1999. New York: Guilford Press;575–594.

21. Main M. Cassidy J, Shaver PR, editors. Epilogue: Attachment theory, eighteen points with suggestions for future studies. Handbook of attachment: theory, research, and clinical applications. 1999. New York: Guilford Press;845–888.