Attachment Theory Pam Davis Mary Fry John Bowlby Reg Watson
A story... What is attachment theory? “Secure base” concept (Bowlby, 1988, pp. 124-125)
(Bowlby, 1988, pp. 124-125; Clinton & Sibcy, 2002, pp. 24-144) Four Attachment Styles Secure Anxious / Resistant Anxious / Avoidant Disorganized (Bowlby, 1988, pp. 124-125; Clinton & Sibcy, 2002, pp. 24-144)
Bowlby’s Early Life Little contact with Mother Nursemaid Minnie left: age 4 World War II began: age 7 Boarding school: age 8 or 11? Medical school / Teaching (Steele, 2007; Van Dijken, 1998, pp. 18-27, 46, 60-61; Holmes, 2001, pp. 14-17; Bowlby, 1981, p. 2)
Formative experiences influence Bowlby Where theory parallels life Single-minded focus of career: effects of separation experiences in childhood Protest against war-time evacuations of children Description of Anxious / Avoidant (Van Dijken, 1998, pp. 117, 154; Bowlby, 1958, p. 7; Bowlby, 1981)
Van Dijken, 1998, pp. 25- 27, 81, 117; Steele, 2007) Bowlby's Attachment Style as an Adult Initially: Anxious / Avoidant Reparative experience Subsequently: Secure (Bowlby, 1958, p. 7; Holmes, 2001, pp. 13-16, 26; Van Dijken, 1998, pp. 25- 27, 81, 117; Steele, 2007)
(Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990) Implications for Faith and Spirituality Early childhood experiences shape one’s view of God Secure Anxious / Resistant Anxious / Avoidant Disorganized One’s view of God affects one’s view of self (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990)
God as the Attachment Figure Some choose to seek God during difficult / stressful times God is a safe haven – a secure base Reparative quality (Clinton and Sibcy, 2002, pp. 152-160)
Clinical Applications Therapeutic value Self awareness Diverse populations (Bowlby, 1988, pp. 138-140)
References Bowlby, J. (1958). Can I leave my baby? London: National Association for Mental Health. Bowlby, J. (1981). Perspective: A contribution. Bulletin of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 5, 2-4. Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. London: Routledge. Clinton, T., & Sibcy, G. (2002). Attachments: Why you love, feel, and act the way you do. Brentwood, TN: Thomas Nelson. Holmes, J. (2001). John Bowlby and attachment theory. New York: Routledge. Holy Bible: New International Version. (1978). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Kirkpatrick, L. (1992). An attachment-theory approach to the psychology of religion. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 2(1), 3-28. http://www. jstor.org/stable/1387553 Kirkpatrick, L. & Shaver, P. (1990). Attachment theory and religion: Childhood attachments, religious beliefs and conversion. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 29 (3), 315-334. http://www.jstor/org/stable/1386461 Steele, H. (Narrator/ Director). (2007). John Bowlby: Attachment theory across generations [DVD]. San Luis Obispo, CA: Davidson Films. Van Dijken, S. (1998). Van Dijken, S. (1998). John Bowlby: His early life. London: Free Association.