ABSTRACT
As everyone with an interest in bereavement knows, Bowlby’s (1980) extension of attachment theory into the realm of bereavement and grieving was a major component of his now massively influential theoretical work. In countless articles and many books, including a recent integration of the literature by Bowlby’s long-time colleague Parkes (2006), Bowlby’s ideas have been tested, challenged, applied clinically, and extended. In the present chapter we offer a brief overview of the theory and its relevance to complicated, or disordered, grieving; its tests in our and other contemporary investigators’ studies; and the potential applications of our research to clinical interventions for individuals suffering from complicated or disordered grief.
