Title: Attachment and Human Survival

Author: Green, Marcie & Scholes, Marc (eds)

Year: 2003
Publisher: Karnac Books Ltd.
City: London
Country: UK

ISBN: 978-1 85575 959 4
Type:
ISBN pages: 176

'Attachment and Human Survival' reveals the role and importance of attachment theory in an individual’s development, from childhood into adulthood. The quality of early attachments to primary caregivers is of utmost importance, as it allows us to feel safe within ourselves, as well as to branch out of our comfort zone and form many new attachments throughout our lives. Covering the earliest attachment theory principles of Bowlby to current research and clinical practice, Green and Scholes remark, “…we are convinced that knowledge of the conditions for secure attachments should be at the heart of our institutional, cultural and political life. It should inform the ways we parent, create social policy, shape the economy, and govern our domestic and international political relations.” Loose or broken attachments from childhood can manifest itself in insecurities and other related problems for the future, and 'Attachment and Human Survival' argues for the importance of attachment in all aspects of life. (Neesha Gulati)
'Attachment and Human Survival', edited by Marci Green and Marc Scholes, is an introductory text that principally explains John Bowlby’s Attachment theory and then introduces readers to basic ideas and applications of his attachment work. The text is divided into nine chapters, each with distinct subjects including the relationship between attachment and brain development, ageing, trauma in the context of political torture, and personal suffering and public violence. The book concludes with a discussion of attachment therapy and finally a captivating story that invites the reader to reflect on the experiences and recovery of a woman with early failed attachments.
The nine chapters on distinct applications of Attachment theory provide the reader with a broad understanding of how Bowlby’s theory can be applied to every individual. 'Attachment and Human Survival' emphasizes the attachment of a child to its parent as the primary relationship through which we learn to become social beings. The text demonstrates, however, that individuals are not condemned to live with their early attachment failures. The powerful concluding story demonstrates that through attachment-based psychotherapy, individuals may learn to understand their past and reclaim their present and future. (Sarah Mills)

Author's institution: University of Wolverhampton
Contact:
Language: English
Country origin: USA

Entry number: 4053
English version:

Entry source: USABP Resources: Keeping in Touch Issue 40
Entered by: Tanice Prince
Entry date: 2 February 2011

Key Phrases: Attachment
References: References
Other information: