A secure base : clinical applications of attachment theory

’One of the most influential forces in child psychiatry and psychology, Dr. Bowlby challenged basic tenets of psychoanalysis and pioneered methods of investigating the emotional life of children.’ – ”The New York Times”. As Bowlby himself points out in his introduction to this seminal childcare book, to be a successful parent means a lot of very hard work. Giving time and attention to children means sacrificing other interests and activities. For many people today these are unwelcome truths. Yet a healthy parent-child bond is not only vital for well-being, but an essential part of what it means to be human. Attachment theory teaches that there are three main attachment patterns – secure, avoidant or ambivalent, and these behaviours continue into adulthood. Secure children are confident, using a parent as a ’secure base’ while they explore the world. Bowlby’s work showed that the early interactions between infant and caregiver have a profound impact on an infant’s social, emotional, and intellectual growth.Controversial yet powerfully influential to this day, this classic collection of Bowlby’s lectures offers important guidelines for child rearing based on the crucial role of early relationships.