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8.3 - Attachment

from 8 - Neurodevelopment and Neuroplasticity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2023

By
Lane Strathearn
Edited by
Mary-Ellen Lynall ,
Peter B. Jones  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Mary-Ellen Lynall
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Peter B. Jones
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
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Summary

Since articulated by John Bowlby in the late 1960s, attachment theory has become foundational for our understanding of how early experience may shape neurodevelopment and later psychopathology. Using well-validated instruments to measure attachment, such as the Strange Situation Procedure and the Adult Attachment Interview, variations in human attachment have been observed and linked to differences in brain, endocrine and behavioural responses. These observations closely parallel non-human animal models of caregiving and social behavior, which also provide more detailed data on neuroendocrine mechanisms. Understanding the neurobiology of attachment has also led to some novel approaches to therapeutic intervention.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Textbook of Neuroscience for Psychiatrists , pp. 354 - 365
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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