Introduction

The human infant’s attachment to its mother (or other primary caregiver) is a prerequisite for survival and a test-bed for all the other attachments he or she will make. Out of this first relationship stems a set of expectations and assumptions which will influence subsequent relationships – and which will not easily be changed – or so attachment theory and the research which spawned it implies. If this theory is correct then we can expect it to shed light not only on the interpersonal problems which can bedevil individual and family life, but also the very essence of the large scale societies to which we belong.