ECOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS FOR INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF ATTACHMENT

To determine whether the transmission of attachment across generations is free from contextual constraints, adult attachment representations were assessed in two kibbutz settings, home-based and communal sleepi ng. It was hypothesised that under extreme child-rearing circumstances , such as the communal sleeping arrangement, the transmission of attac hment is not evident, whereas in the more regular home-based environme nt the expected transmission of attachment will be found. The particip ants were 45 mothers and 45 infants, about equal numbers of boys and g irls, from 20 kibbutz infant houses with communal sleeping arrangement s, and from 25 kibbutz infant houses with home-based sleeping arrangem ents. Mothers were administered the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and infants were assessed through the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Amo ng the home-based pairs, a correspondence of 76% was found between AAI and Strange Situation classifications, whereas the correspondence was only 40% in the communal sleeping group. It is argued that living in a communal sleeping arrangement reduces the expected transmission of a ttachment.