Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood: The Major Longitudinal Studies [Paperback]

Klaus E. Grossmann PhD (Editor), Karin Grossmann PhD (Editor), Everett Waters PhD (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1593853815 | ISBN-13: 978-1593853815 | Edition: 1

This volume provides unique and valuable firsthand accounts of the most important longitudinal studies of attachment. Presented are a range of research programs that have broadened our understanding of early close relationships and their role in individual adaptation throughout life. In addition to discussing the findings that emerged from each study, leading investigators offer rare reflections on the process of scientific discovery. Themes addressed include the complexities of designing studies that span years or even decades; challenges in translating theoretical constructs into age-appropriate assessments; how Bowlby's original models have been refined and expanded; and how attachment interacts with other key influences on development.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'The child is father to the man': Wordsworth intuited it; Freud asserted it; Bowlby systematized it; this book proves it. Grossmann, Grossmann, and Waters have assembled an illustrious gallery of top attachment and developmental researchers. They present their findings in ways that are scientifically convincing as well as highly readable and personally moving. Reductionists, eat your hearts out--or, rather, start to search for the mechanisms that underlie these incontrovertible links between childhood attachment experience and adult relational competence. This volume is a 'must' for all psychotherapeutic clinicians and child development researchers, and will become a standard text for courses in clinical psychology and social work. I will certainly use it as such in the master's program in psychological therapies that I run."--Jeremy Holmes, MD, FRCPsych, University of Exeter and University College London, UK

"This book provides a unique overview of more than 30 years of fascinating longitudinal research on attachment development. It contains marvelous reports of the seminal longitudinal studies conducted by the most well-known people in the field. The volume demonstrates in an impressive manner how empirical findings not only can confirm assumptions derived from theory, but also can challenge those assumptions and thus contribute to the ongoing development of the theory. As such, it is highly interesting reading for experienced researchers as well as students."--Gottfried Spangler, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

"Attachment theory really comes of age in this volume....Contributions written by pioneers and current giants in the field impressively connect attachment theory and research to cross-cultural variations, the social context, and human evolution. This book is required reading for anyone interested in the contemporary and long-term consequences of early close relationships."--Arnold J. Sameroff, PhD, Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan

"This book presents an intriguing view of the evolution of an entire scientific field. Interwoven with important data and theoretical discussions, we find historical and personal notes from the people who have been instrumental in making child-parent attachment a central area within developmental psychology. The fascinating, up-to-date accounts in this volume will be useful and inspiring for readers in scientific and applied settings."--Gunilla Bohlin, PhD, and Berit Hagekull, PhD, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Sweden

About the Author

Klaus E. Grossmann (PhD, University of Arkansas, 1965; Hab., University of Freiburg, 1970) first discovered the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth while conducting ethological and experimental research at the University of Freiburg's Institute for Biology after receiving his doctoral degree. He was appointed Full Professor at Bielefeld University, Germany, in 1970, and began the Bielefeld Longitudinal Study in 1973. In 1977, he moved his laboratory to the University of Regensburg and started a second long-term longitudinal attachment study. Professor Grossmann's numerous publications include, most recently, a collection of John Bowlby's and Mary Ainsworth's key papers in German translation with commentary (coedited with Karin Grossmann).

Karin Grossmann (PhD, University of Regensburg, 1984) is a Senior Scientist in Psychology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. Dr. Grossmann's research focuses on longitudinal and cross-cultural research in attachment. Widely published, she recently coauthored (with Klaus Grossmann) a book based on the Bielefeld and Regensburg longitudinal studies. She also teaches and publishes on the applications of attachment theory and research in family matters.

Everett Waters (PhD, University of Minnesota, 1977) is Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a founding member of the New York Attachment Consortium. At the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development, Dr. Waters studied ethology and evolution with William Charlesworth and the concept of development and emotional development with L. Alan Sroufe. His extensive publications include the classic volume Patterns of Attachment (coauthored with Mary Ainsworth and colleagues) and two Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (June 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593853815
• ISBN-13: 978-1593853815
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Medical Books > Nursing > Psychiatry & Mental Health

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Review of Attachment Research, July 22, 2011

By 

Christopher J. Alexander, Ph.D. "Christopher ... (Rio Rancho, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood: The Major Longitudinal Studies (Paperback)

This book includes 11 chapters which basically provide a summary of modern-day attachment research by the leaders in the field. Because each chapter focuses on one aspect of research, the content can be a bit dry for those who are looking for a more hands-on/how-to book. Even so, each chapter is somewhat personalized, given that each author begins with an overview of what brought them to the field of attachment.

The studies covered in this book are illuminating, and each helps to update our understanding of the field, thereby showing how far we've come since Bowlby and Ainsworth. Within the book, you'll read about the work/findings of major research projects, many of which we hear about at attachment/child development conferences, such as the Minnesota Longitudinal Study; the Pennsylvania Infant and Family Development Project; the London Parent-Child Project; the Haifa Longitudinal Study; and the Berkeley Longitudinal Study.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't go much further than that. Thus, most clinicians will find the book interesting, but it will be a challenge knowing how to translate the content into practical work with children and parents. There are threads of this--especially in discussions of the Adult Attachment Interview--but the book is more scientific and quantitative than other books published on attachment.

For those involved in attachment research, you'll love this book, as the authors do a good job of bringing our knowledge of the field into the current day. Ideas for future research will clearly be stimulated. The book would also be a nice addition to those used in college graduate courses that focus on developmental attachment.

In short, the reader will gain a lot of information here, as you're basically sitting at the feet of the masters as you read this volume.

6 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars best of longitudinal attachment studies, November 3, 2006

By 

C. J. Pulen "Dr. Mom" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood: The Major Longitudinal Studies (Hardcover)

A good compilation of longitudinal attachment studies - includes study methods, results, conclusions, etc. A good read for anyone interested in attachment theory.