ABSTRACT
Attachment theory is about belonging and the power of emotional bonds in human families. These are the ties that bind people together in space and endure over time (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). These bonds provide children and adults with a secure base in which to develop and grow. Much of the literature details how a lack of secure connection with others adversely influences the optimal development of personality, including how people see the world, regulate affect, process information, and communicate with others. This theory is not just about belonging, however, it is also about how attachment bonds are evolutionary survival mechanisms that offer protection and a safe haven from life’s adversities (Bowlby, 1969/1982). A sense of secure connection with others is most pertinent in the face of danger and loss. The lack of such connection not only leaves us unprotected in the storms of life and specifically influences how we deal with such storms, but can, in itself, be aversive and even traumatic. Attachment theory has been called “a theory of trauma emphasizing physical separation, whether threatened or actual, and extreme emotional adversity” (Atkinson, 1997, p. 3).
