This first volume of John Bowlby's Attachment and Loss series examines the nature of the child's ties to the mother. Beginning with a discussion of instinctive behavior, its causation, functioning, and ontogeny, Bowlby proceeds to a theoretical formulation of attachment behavior—how it develops, how it is maintained, what functions it fulfills.In the fifteen years since Attachment was first published, there have been major developments in both theoretical discussion and empirical research on attachment. The second edition, with two wholly new chapters and substantial revisions, incorporates these developments and assesses their importance to attachment theory.
The classic work of psychology that introduced attachment theory to the world
“The most complete examination of the implications of attachment and loss of mother to infant yet written…Brilliant.” —New York Times
In Attachment, psychologist John Bowlby examines the nature of the child's ties to the mother, elucidating the processes of attachment and separation. He demonstrates that human attachment is an instinctive response to the need for protection against predators, and one as important for survival as nutrition and reproduction. The first of three volumes in Attachment and Loss, Attachment offers the fullest expression of Bowlby’s theory of attachment behavior, how it develops, how it is maintained, and what functions it fulfills.
