Attachment And The Influence Of War

The notion that maternal care and love will determine a child’s emotional well-being and future personality has become ubiquitous. In countless stories and movies we find that the problems of the protagonists—anything from the fear of romantic commitment to serial killing—stem from their troubled relationships with their mothers during childhood. How did we come to hold these views about the determinant power of mother love over an individual’s emotional development? And what does this vision of mother love entail for children and mothers? In The Nature and Nurture of Love, Marga Vicedo examines scientific views about children’s emotional needs and mother love from World War II until the 1970s, paying particular attention to John Bowlby’s ethological theory of attachment behavior. Vicedo tracks the development of Bowlby’s work as well as the interdisciplinary research that he used to support his theory, including Konrad Lorenz’s studies of imprinting in geese, Harry Harlow’s experiments with monkeys, and Mary Ainsworth’s observations of children and mothers in Uganda and the United States. Vicedo’s historical analysis reveals that important psychoanalysts and animal researchers opposed the project of turning emotions into biological instincts. Despite those substantial criticisms, she argues that attachment theory was paramount in turning mother love into a biological need. This shift introduced a new justification for the prescriptive role of biology in human affairs and had profound—and negative—consequences for mothers and for the valuation of mother love.

The concluding chapter reflects on the key issues addressed, considers the deeper philosophical implications of current work in the field, and identifies pivotal directions for future investigation."--BOOK JACKET.

From pioneering attachment researchers, this book takes an expansive look at the nature and functions of security dynamics in personal and social relationships. Mario Mikulincer and Phillip R. Shaver examine how attachment operates not only in close dyadic relationships (parent–child, romantic partners), but also between teachers and students, therapists and clients, physicians and patients, leaders and followers, and within organizations. Also considered is the nature of "attachments" to objects; commercial brands; substances, such as foods and drugs; and places. The book highlights ways to integrate attachment theory with other influential social and psychological theories concerning factors that enable individuals, groups, and societies to flourish despite inevitable threats, conflicts, and losses.

Is there a science to love? In this groundbreaking book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller reveal how an understanding of attachment theory-the most advanced relationship science in existence today-can help us find and sustain love. Attachment theory forms the basis for many bestselling books on the parent/child relationship, but there has yet to be an accessible guide to what this fascinating science has to tell us about adult romantic relationships-until now. Attachment theory owes its inception to British psychologist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby, who in the 1950s examined the tremendous impact that our early relationships with our parents or caregivers has on the people we become. Also central to attachment theory is the discovery that our need to be in a close relationship with one or more individuals is embedded in our genes. In Attached, Levine and Heller trace how these evolutionary influences continue to shape who we are in our relationships today. According to attachment theory, every person behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways: *ANXIOUS people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner's ability to love them back. *AVOIDANT people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness. *SECURE people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving. Attached guides readers in determining what attachment style they and their mate (or potential mates) follow. It also offers readers a wealth of advice on how to navigate their relationships more wisely given their attachment style and that of their partner. An insightful look at the science behind love, Attached offers readers a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections.

"Every reader will find this book about attachment enlightening." --Dr. Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight "Does a magnificent job of revealing how attachment manifests at the workplace, in friendships, religion, and even politics.” --Amir Levine, M.D., author of Attached A revealing look at attachment theory, uncovering how our early childhood experiences create a blueprint for all our relationships to come Attachment theory is having a moment. It’s the subject of much-shared articles and popular relationship guides. Why is this fifty-year-old theory, widely accepted in psychological circles, suddenly in vogue? Because people are discovering how powerfully it sheds light on who we love--and how. Fascinated by the subject, award-winning journalist and author Peter Lovenheim embarked on a journey to understand it from the inside out. Interviewing researchers, professors, counselors, and other experts, as well as individuals and couples whose attachment stories illuminate and embody the theory's key concepts. The result is this engaging and revealing book, which is part journalism, part memoir, part psychological guide--and a fascinating read for anyone who wants to better understand the needs and dynamics that drive the complex relationships in their lives. Topics include: * What it means to be securely and insecurely attached * How our early childhood experiences create a blueprint for future relationships--and how to use those insights to gain self-awareness and growth * Why anxious and avoidant attachment types tend to attract each other, and how to break the negative cycle * How anyone can work to become "earned secure" regardless of their upbringing and past relationships.

The outgrowth of a conference planned as a response to the need for researchers and clinicians to develop integrated plans for addressing the psychological trauma of children exposed to violence, this volume's goals are: * to summarize research on the subject with particular emphasis on the Gulf War; * to use this information to formulate an outline of what current knowledge suggests are reasonable approaches to public mental health intervention; and * to develop an agenda for future research necessary for improving clinical efforts in varying international conflicts. A significant collection of diverse perspectives attending to a diversity of cultural and political contexts, the contributors offer many conclusions about important dimensions for analyzing the effects of violence on children. Suggesting informed approaches to public mental health efforts which can be implemented, the work presented here directs attention to the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers and clinicians to better understand the effects of exposure to violence on the psychological well being of children and the optimal modes of remediation on individual, family, and community levels.

Most psychological research studies today account for the relational problems of African American heterosexual couples inability to stay together in terms of contemporary factors such as female-headed households, mass incarceration, racial achievement gap in academic performance, infidelity, etc. These factors are symptoms of a more foundational problem. The intergenerational traumatic impact of slavery and its aftermath (e.g., Jim Crow) is the source for these couples inability to stay together. This book will be restricted to historical traumas originating under slavery. The practices implemented during slavery disrupted bonding and secure attachment between adult heterosexual couples. A deeper psychohistorical understanding of this intergenerational disruption will help us understand current issues among African American men and women. The book will move beyond individual and couple dyad perspective and bring family system concepts to bear in understanding the transgenerational transmission of trauma and its contemporary manifestations in intimate relationships. The purpose is to answer this question: What are the psychohistorical effects of psychological slavery on attachment and trust in the intimate relationship among African American men and women? This book will utilize sociological and psychological theories drawn from functionalism, neofunctionalism, attachment theory, family systems, and other relevant literatures to develop a psychohistorical analysis of relational problems of heterosexual African American couples today having transgenerational roots in slavery. Attachment theory will be used to explain attachment and trust ruptures in contemporary intimate relationships and their psychohistorical roots. Emotionally focused therapy is the suggested treatment approach that may help the couple repair attachment ruptures.