THEORY OF ATTACHMENT AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Attachment theory has evolved from the work of the English psychoanaly st and child psychiatrist John Bowlby. In the meantime it has become o ne of the most influential areas within developmental psychology. In s pite of its wide scope it is (still) relatively little known in psycho analytic circles. The author gives an overview of the present stand of research in attachment theory. He then introduces the work of those p sychoanalysts who use attachment theory as the basis of their research (particularly the London group around Peter Fonagy). Lastly he procee ds to sketch the differences and similarities between attachment theor y and psychoanalysis with respect to their fundamental assumptions on some major issues, i.e.: the meaning of sexuality; the role played by reality and fantasy in neurosis; the question whether internal or, res pectively, external factors are more likely to determine the developme nt.