This book is for the reader interested in an approachable yet nuanced review of the lifespan implications of attachment bonds and how this body of knowledge itself has developed over time. Shiller synthesizes over a half-century of important research, covering many core themes: continuity and discontinuity, the transmission gap, affect regulation and mentalization, psychobiology, and stress responses. Managing to be straightforward while not shying away from complexity or vulnerability, The Attachment Bondoffers a "secure" base from which we might further explore.
Reviewer: Gary Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)Description: This is an overview of attachment theory and its impact across the lifespan. The author explores the roles of mothers and fathers, as well as the effect that divorce has on young children.Purpose: The author notes: "Recently, while preparing to teach seminars at the Yale Child Study Center on the topics of attachment and early trauma, I read many original research studies as well as books that have been published in the past several decades. It became apparent that while there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge about attachment through the lifespan, there is no single clear, succinct, and scientifically accurate overview of the field." She concluded, "There seemed a need for a comprehensive yet not overly technical book."Audience: Although the author does not suggest her intended audience, the book appears to be written for clinicians who work with children and families. However, any clinician could benefit from this work. The author, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Yale University, has 35 years of experience and is interested in parent-child attachment and couples/family functioning.Features: The introduction presents the history and principles of attachment theory and notes that the initial bond between mother and child is crucial, though the impact of family systems and couple relationships must be considered. The role of temperament is also explored. Attachment relationships affect emotion regulation, adjustment, and the developing brain. Research has shown that preschoolers with secure attachments are better at problem-solving and more competent than those who are insecure-avoidant. It is also important to look at the attachment histories of mothers and fathers. This can be assessed through the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). There is interesting information regarding older children and adolescence. Children with disorganized patterns of attachment are at higher risk to develop psychological and behavioral problems in later years. However, adult relationships may not necessarily be adversely affected by childhood difficulties. The book ends with research findings on attachment quality in the midst of shared custody and overnight stays with each parent. The author concludes that early childhood experiences do not perfectly predict later outcomes because all experiences can have a tremendous impact. The book is easy to read and contains both clinical information and research findings.Assessment: This excellent book discusses attachment theory and its impact throughout the lifespan. Clinicians will find this helpful for their practices with both children and adults.
The Attachment Bond provides a wonderfully readable and clear description of the history of attachment theory and research. Virginia M. Shiller made this complex story accessible and sensible, and brought alive one of the most important scientific paradigms of our day. Bravo!
The juxtaposition of research results and studies with case studies and the attention to explaining the impact of these studies and their review on the overall attachment theory's development presumes no prior psychological expertise. While psychologists will likely be the primary readers of The Attachment Bond, it's important to note that a secondary audience of non-experts, from parents to early childhood educators, will find it equally accessible. The result is a solid, research-based overview that is recommended for psychologists, parents, and educators alike, representing a surprisingly accessible synthesis of study and real-world applications as it probes the latest developments in attachment theory.
This careful and well-informed book sets the evolution of a major theory in developmental psychology within the historical context of child care lore and practice in the mid-twentieth century. Virginia Shiller does not shun spelling out its implications for policy makers, or making recommendations to the judicial, educational, and health professions involved with children today.
Dr. Shiller succeeds admirably in her goal of giving the reader a clear, concise, straight-forward, yet comprehensive view of the attachment system across the lifespan. The Attachment Bond if far more 'user friendly' than the Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research and Clinical Applications (2016), but it is not superficial or overly simple in its approach.
Chapter by chapter, page by page, this book offers a very comprehensive and highly technical insight into the world of attachment theory and its relevance to practice across the lifespan. The application to social work practice is only too clear once one digests and appreciates the contents of this book.. .. This is an insightful and informative book which draws on research internationally.. . Reviewed, on the rear of Shiller’s book, by seminal writers in the area of attachment theory such as Siegel, Steele and Van Ijzendoorn clearly positions this book as a top read for professionals and academics.
British Journal of Social Work
This book is for the reader interested in an approachable yet nuanced review of the lifespan implications of attachment bonds and how this body of knowledge itself has developed over time. Shiller synthesizes over a half-century of important research, covering many core themes: continuity and discontinuity, the transmission gap, affect regulation and mentalization, psychobiology, and stress responses. Managing to be straightforward while not shying away from complexity or vulnerability, The Attachment Bondoffers a “secure” base from which we might further explore.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
The Attachment Bond: Affectional Ties across the Lifespan is unique in its ability to translate the many implications of attachment theory and research for the domain of parent-child relationships. There is no other book that provides a comprehensive and thoughtful compilation of the conceptual framework for attachment theory and the many decades of attachment research. Shiller provides a sophisticated yet accessible volume in which she masterfully weaves together contemporary research on evolution, attachment continuity vs. discontinuity, impact of employment on mothers, and child care and custody. Shiller’s intelligent synthesis of mountains of research makes this volume a must-read for those in child and adult psychiatry, clinical psychology, social work, teachers, and parents.
Dr. Virginia M. Shiller takes the reader on a lifelong journey exploring the attachment bond, from birth to death, in The Attachment Bond: Affectional Ties Across the Lifespan. She presents an overview of attachment theory, incorporating the theories of Bowlby, Ainsworth, Freud, Watson, Harlow, and even Benjamin Spock. Embracing a storytelling approach, Shiller weaves together theory and examples in an easy to read, yet comprehensive volume.... Shiller provides an extensive summary of attachment research that has occurred over the past century, educating her readers through clearly written and comprehensive research reviews in conjunction with real-life vignettes.... Shiller has offered a comprehensive overview of attachment theory and has provided us, through storytelling, an understanding of how theory and life intertwine. If Bowlby were alive today, he would be proud of Shiller.
Virginia M. Shiller has created an insightful summary of the intricate field of attachment theory and research, beautifully weaving the strands of developmental concepts, empirical findings, and personal, clinical, and societal implications into a concise and useful summary of this important area of knowledge. Making sense of our own attachment experiences is a powerful means to integrate the past into a more sensitive present and open our future relationships in positive and security-promoting ways. Take in these well-presented summaries and make sense of the intricacies of our lifelong developmental pathways!
Because attachment patterns influence not just mental health, but also the relationships that we develop with our romantic partners and the ones we create with our children, it seems that every effort should be made to better understand them. The Attachment Bond offers perhaps the most informative summary to date of attachment theory, and its implications on the relational experiences that we carry throughout our lives.
The emergence of an attachment relationship between infants and their parents is a developmental milestone with enduring significance for later adaptation. Thousands of studies on attachment have been conducted worldwide, and a recent Handbook of Attachment needed more than 1,000 pages to cover the past 5 decades of this work. Virginia Shiller has written the perfect companion to this handbook, with a compact, fluent, and balanced summary of attachment theory and research that sheds light on pressing social issues such as the influence of daycare, the role of a couple’s relationship both during marriage and following divorce, and the associations with school achievement and with mental and physical health.
Marinus H. van IJzendoorn
2016-12-11
