John Bowlby - From Psychoanalysis to Ethology: Unravelling the Roots of Attachment Theory

by Frank C.P. van der Horst, Jerome Kagan (Foreword)

This accessible book draws on unique evidence from oral histories and little-known archive material to shed new light on the working relationships which led to John Bowlby’s shift from psychoanalysis to ethology as a frame of reference – and ultimately to the development of attachment theory.

Genres: Psychology

216 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2011

Reviews

[Nataliehoma · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting biography, focusing on the ethological influences on attachment theory. However, it was poorly written. It contained some interesting facts, some interesting scholarly interactions/collaborations were discussed that I was not aware of, but it did not read well. And, while it is important to understand the ethological influences, I felt the focus was too narrow. There was a tip of the hat to other influences on the theory, but not enough to recognize how attachment theory developed as a true interdisciplinary theory.

[Marco Innamorati · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Letto in italiano)

Si tratta di un libro estremamente utile, che però non mantiene la promessa implicita di essere un libro su John Bowlby in senso generale. In realtà è un testo che copre la vita e il contributo teorico di Bowlby fino, per così dire, alla prefazione del primo volume della trilogia su Attaccamento e perdita. E lo fa nell’ottica dell’influenza dell’etologia sulla teoria dell’attaccamento. Sicuramente si apprendono molte informazioni (spesso altrove irreperibili) sui rapporti tra Bowlby, Hinde, Tinbergen, Lorenz, Harlow e Ainsworth. Il suo rapporto con Robertson, però, viene seguito solo fino a un certo punto. Nulla in pratica si dice di personaggi fondamentali con cui Bowlby entrò in contatto e qui vengono solo nominati: Piaget, Erikson, Mead, Laing… L’autore, inoltre, mostra una conoscenza molto imprecisa delle teorie psicoanalitiche.