ABSTRACT
One of the central tenets of attachment theory is the notion that early childhood lays the foundations for the development of personality through the lifespan. Bowlby’s ideas (e.g. Bowlby, 1969/1982, 1973, 1979/2005, 1980) reflected this assumption and he believed that infants are biologically predisposed to form selective bonds with special and proximate caring figures in their environment, proposing that experiences in relation to such bonds are a critical factor in the development of internal working models of the world, the self, and self-in-relation-to-world. Attachment theory proposes that there is evolutionary advantage (Bowlby, 1969/1982) in the capacity to equate concepts such as unfamiliarity, loneliness, and rapid approach with danger, and to seek proximity to an attachment figure in response to such threat is the hypothesised goal of the attachment system. The attachment system therefore serves to regulate, maintain, or obtain proximity to a caregiver (or caregivers), who is perceived to be a secure base fromwhich to engage in environmental exploration (Ainsworth, 1963; Bowlby, 1973). Based upon their experiences and perception of caregiver availability, ability, responsiveness, and willingness in relation to their attachment needs Bowlby (1973) hypothesised that children construct mental models related to their thoughts, memories, beliefs, expectations, and emotional and behavioural apparatus in relation to the self and others. These internal working models are thought to provide the basis for subsequent psychological and social development. The purpose of this chapter is to lay out some of the fundamental tenets of attachment theory and provide a basic overview of its development. Readers interested in a more thorough description of the ideas, concepts, and arguments that frame attachment theory are referred to Bowlby’s complete works (e.g. Bowlby, 1973, 1980, 1969/1982).
