ATTACHMENT AND MOTHER‐INFANT INTERACTION: SOME RESEARCH IMPASSÉ AND A SUGGESTED CHANGE IN ORIENTATION

Miriam K. Rosenthal*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper suggests that a change in the conceptualization of attachment is required in order to avoid certain research impasses. In particular, problems arising from work on the “stability” of attachment and on the relationship between its various “indices” are discussed. Attachment should be viewed as patterns of interaction between two human beings and not as a “thing” which results from such interactions. It is suggested that regarding it as certain characteristics of person‐child interaction rather than as a “summary‐construct” attributed to a child, may lead to more meaningful investigation of the psychological processes involved in attachment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)201-207
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines
Volume14
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1973
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'ATTACHMENT AND MOTHER‐INFANT INTERACTION: SOME RESEARCH IMPASSÉ AND A SUGGESTED CHANGE IN ORIENTATION'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this