Attachment and Bonding: A New Synthesis (Dahlem Workshop Reports) [Hardcover]

C. Sue Carter (Editor), Lieselotte Ahnert (Editor), K. E. Grossmann (Editor), Sarah B. Hrdy (Editor), Michael E. Lamb (Editor), Stephen W. Porges (Editor), Norbert Sachser (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Dahlem Workshop Reports | Publication Date: November 18, 2005

Attachment and bonding are evolved processes; the mechanisms that permit the development of selective social bonds are assumed to be very ancient, based on neural circuitry rooted deep in mammalian evolution, but the nature and timing of these processes and their ultimate and proximate causes are only beginning to be understood. In this Dahlem Workshop Report, scientists from different disciplines--including anthropology, psychology, psychiatry, and behavioral biology--come together to explore the concepts of attachment and bonding from diverse perspectives. In their studies they seek to understand the causes or the consequences of attachment and bonding in general and their different qualities in individual development in particular. They address such questions as biobehavioral processes in attachment and bonding; early social attachment and its influences on later patterns of behavior; bonding later in life; and adaptive and maladaptive (or pathological) outcomes. The studies confirm that social bonds have consequences for virtually all aspects of behavior and may be protective in the face of both physical and emotional challenges.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scientists from different disciplines, including anthropology, psychology, psychiatry, pediatrics, neurobiology, endocrinology, and molecular biology, explore the concepts of attachment and bonding from varying scientific perspectives.

Antonio Negri is a philosopher and essay writer. A political and social activist in the 1960s and 1970s in Italy, he taught political sciences for many years and has written numerous books on political philosophy including Marx beyond Marx (1979), The Savage Anomaly (1983), Insurgencies (1997); and in collaboration with Michael Hardt, Empire (2000) and Multitude (2004).

Stephen W. Porges is Professor of Psychiatry, and Codirector of the Brain Body Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

K. E. Grossmann is Professor Emeritus, University of Regensberg.

Norbert Sachser is Professor of Zoology and Director of the Behavioral Biology Division, University of Münster.

Lieselotte Ahnert is Visiting Professor of Developmental Psychology and Visiting Professor at the Free University, Berlin

Michael E. Lamb is Professor of Psychology in the Social Sciences, Cambridge University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (November 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262033488
• ISBN-13: 978-0262033480
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Perspectives on Bonding and Attachment, February 1, 2009

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Christopher J. Alexander, Ph.D. "Christopher ... (Rio Rancho, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Attachment and Bonding: A New Synthesis (Dahlem Workshop Reports) (Hardcover)

As a child psychologist who often works for child welfare agencies, I have to testify in court on issues on bonding and attachment quite frequently. This book didn't tell me much I didn't already know about bonding in humans. It did, however, expand on the concept, to bring a more universal understanding of the process in most species. Parents will find themselves a little glossy-eyed trying to get through this one. Practitioners might find it interesting, but from a practical standpoint, there are better options.

Christopher Alexander (Author, 'Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment of Foster and Adopted Children, 2009).