Early Family Intervention

Abstract

Relationships within the family continue to be the subject of extensive research and theoretical contemplation. Attachment theory (Ainsworth, et al., 1978; Bowlby, 1982)¹ provides a rich account of the inner workings of relationships and relational contexts. Attachment relationships are thought to be evolutionarily important and have resonance across development (Bowlby, 1969; Ainsworth, 1989). “An attachment can be described as an enduring affectional bond that unites two or more people across time and context...” (Thompson, Easterbrooks, Padilla-Walker, 2003, p. 100). Attachment theory particularly explores the issues of emotion and independence within important relationships. Contemporary attachment theory has a widened scope of inquiry, by investigating how multiple attachment relationships, as well as the growing infant’s psychobiology and temperamental characteristics influence the nature of attachment (Thompson, et al., 2003).