ABSTRACT
Until quite recently, attachment theorists and researchers paid rather little heed to the parental experience of attachment relationships. Following Bowlby’s (1958, 1969) theoretical formulations, empirical studies emphasized the infant’s need for a special figure who is emotionally and physically available and thereby facilitates exploration of the environment (secure base), whose sensitive responsiveness in stressful or alarming situations provides reassurance, comfort, and protection (secure haven), whose departure arouses anxiety and whose return is generally welcomed with relief and pleasure (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Even when investigators began to explore attachment experiences beyond infancy (Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, in press; Cassidy, 1988; Kaplan, 1984; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985; Marvin, 1977), the focus remained on attachment from the filial point of view, whether the assessments were of children or adults.
