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John Bowlby (1907–1990) was a British developmental psychologist of the psychoanalytic tradition. He was responsible for much of the early research conducted on attachment in humans. At an early age, in accordance with upper-middle-class British tradition, he was sent to a boarding school -- the experience of which propelled him to study mother-child attachment relations. See Attachment theory.

Study on attachment and separation

With James Robertson he identified three stages of separation response amongst children:

1. Protest to the mother figure for re-attachment (related to separation anxiety)
2. Despair and pain at the loss of the mother figure despite repeated protests for re-establishment for relationship. (related to grief and mourning), and
3. Detachment or denial of affection to the mother-figure. (related to defence).

These phases are universally seen in children who go through separation, either by loss of parent/s due to death, divorce or through boarding school. Bowlby identified that infants need one special relationship for internal development.

"No variables have more far-reaching effects on personality development than a child's experiences within the family. Starting during his first months in his relation to both parents, he builds up working models of how attachment figures are likely to behave towards him in any of a variety of situations, and on all those models are based all his expectations, and therefore all his plans, for the rest of his life." (J. Bowlby, Attachment and Loss (1973, p.369))

Use of Bowlby's theory in Practice

Attachment Theory has become the dominant theory used today in the study of infant and toddler behavior and in the fields of infant mental health, treatment of children, and related fields. Several therapies purport to be based on attachment theory, e.g., Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy(Becker-Weidman & Shell, 2005), but are controversial because of their protocols and significant disputes over the quality of evidence supporting their claimed efficacy. Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy are only considered controversal by a few "fringe" advocacy groups, which are not part of the mainstream psychology, mental health, or research communities. Other promising treatment methods are not particularly controversial, but remain under clinical investigation, for example, the Circle of Security Program of Dr. Robert Marvin at the University of Virginia. Still others have disclosed an apparently sound evidence base and are fully informed by attachment theory; Developmental, Individual-difference, Relationship-based therapy (DIR or Floor Time) by Stanley Greenspan is one such. (Mercer, p. 123)

Dyadic developmental psychotherapy is an evidence-based treatment(1) approach for the treatment of attachment disorder and reactive attachment disorder. Children who have experienced pervasive and extensive trauma, neglect, loss, and/or other dysregulating experiences can benefit from this treatment. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is based on principles derived from Attachment Theory and Research; see the work of Bowlby. The treatment meets the standards of the American Professional Society on Child Abuse, The American Academy of Child Psychiatry, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, and various other groups' standards for the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents. This is a non-coercive treatment.

Citing particularly Becker-Weidman's approach just mentioned, a task force of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) concluded in 2006 that the controversial therapies contrast to traditional theories like Bowlby's by "commonly assert that their therapies, and their therapies alone, are effective for children with attachment disorders and that more traditional treatments are either ineffective or harmful". However, the quote did not refer to Dyadic Developmental Psychotheray nor to Dr. Becker-Weidman. (APSAC, p. 78) Instead of following Bowlby or accepted child development principles, these approaches encourage children to regress to an earlier age where trauma has been experienced, and such age regression is, according to APSAC, "contraindicated because of risk of harm and absence of proven benefit and should not be used." (APSAC, pp. 79,86) The task force's conclusions were endorsed by APSAC as a whole and by the Child Abuse Section of the American Psychological Association.

Defenders of the controversial treatments assert that they meet the standards of APSAC, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and various other groups' standards for the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents. Actually, all of the aforementioned organizations have adopted formal statements (in some cases practice parameters) opposing the controversial treatments and/or particular practices within them. Recognized professional organizations have been unanimous in recommending against the use of controversial treatments. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, being a non-coercive approach, meets these standards as evidenced by the support of this approach by Dr. Daniel Siegel of the University of California at LA medical school and author of The Developing Mind, among many other articles and books.

See also

Reactive attachment disorder

Attachment theory

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy

Selected bibliography

• American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). (2006) Report of the APSAC Task Force on Attachment Therapy, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and Attachment Problems. Child Maltreatment. Feb;11(1):76-89.
• Becker-Weidman, A., & Shell, D., (Eds.) (2005), Creating Capacity for Attachment Wood N Barnes, Oklahoma City, OK. ISBN 1885473729
• Bowlby, J. (1960) Separation anxiety. International Journal of Child Psychoanalysis 4t: 89-113.
• Bowlby, J. (1973) Separation: Anxiety & Anger. Vol. 2 of Attachment and loss London: Hogarth Press; New York: Basic Books; Harmondsworth: Penguin (1975).
• Cassidy, J., & Shaver, P., (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment Theory Research and Practice, NY: Guilford Press. ISBN 157230-087-6
• Greenspan, S. (1993) Infancy and Early Childhood. Madison, CT: International Universities Press. ISBN 0823626334.
• Holmes, J. (1993) John Bowlby and Attachment Theory. Routledge; ISBN 0415077303
• Mercer, J. (2006) Understanding Attachment: Parenting Child Care, and Emotional Development. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN 0-275-98217-3.
• Robertson, James and Joyce (1989) "Separation and the Very Young" Free Association Books
• Zeanah, C., (Ed.) (1993) Handbook of Infant Mental Health. Guilford Press, NY; ISBN 0898629969

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