INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL SECTION ON ATTACHMENT AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY.1.

Research derived from attachment theory has generated a rich and rapid ly growing body of findings on the importance of early caregiving expe rience in the development of psychopathology and in the promotion of a daptation. This special section presents research and scholarship on t he relation of attachment status to psychiatric classifications and di agnosis in child, adolescent, and adult populations. Included as well are articles that explore the cross-generational transmission of attac hment patterns and investigate the relation of attachment status to re sponse to psychotherapy. These articles are representative of the nota ble impact that attachment theory and research are making in the field of developmental psychopathology. The special section is intended to help bridge the gap between thinking about attachment and clinical res earch and intervention.