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“The contributors do a great job of providing not just summaries of past research but also “roadmaps” for future researchers as they strive to understand why people think, feel, and behave as they do. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.”

—Choice Reviews


“Nearly a half-century after the publication of the first volume of John Bowlby's landmark trilogy, attachment theory continues to grow in depth and applicability. Simpson and Rholes have assembled an outstanding selection of timely and thought-provoking chapters. This book does much more than review recent work in the field—it sets the agenda for the next generation of attachment theory and research.”

—Harry T. Reis, PhD, Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester


“Simpson and Rholes have gathered a stellar cast of contributors to produce a cutting-edge volume dealing with one of the most vibrant and central domains in psychology. This book is a wonderful interdisciplinary feast for anyone wanting to learn about current directions in attachment theory and how it is being integrated and applied across social and clinical psychology, neuroscience, health psychology, and human sexuality. Bravo!”

—Garth Fletcher, PhD, School of Psychology, Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand


“A major contribution! What is most noteworthy is that the individual chapters all go well beyond the standard review of the literature. Instead, they break new theoretical ground and chart future directions. The book is ambitious and thoughtful, and brings together many of the top scholars in the field today. It is chock full of creative ways of thinking about the role of attachment in human social functioning, making it destined to be cited for many years to come.”

—Joseph P. Allen, PhD, Hugh P. Kelly Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia


“This wonderful book is a landmark contribution to what is known about adult attachment. The superb chapters consolidate classic ideas and recent research, while each contributor identifies key directions for future research. This volume is for anyone interested in understanding how deep-seated (in)securities fundamentally shape the way we interpret and respond to what others do over the course of daily interactions in intimate relationships, parent-child contexts, and workplace settings.”

—Ximena Arriaga, PhD, Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University

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Table of Contents

Introduction: New Directions and Emerging Themes in Attachment Theory and Research, W. Steven Rholes & Jeffry A. Simpson

1. Early Attachment Experiences and Romantic Functioning: Developmental Pathways, Emerging Issues, and Future Directions, R. Chris Fraley & Glenn I. Roisman

2. The Neuroscience of Attachment: Using New Methods to Answer Old (and New) Questions, Omri Gillath

3. Fooled Around and Fell in Love: The Role of Sex in Adult Romantic Attachment Formation, Vivian Zayas, Sarah Merrill, & Cindy Hazan

4. Stress and Attachment, Lisa M. Diamond

5. Boosting Attachment Security in Adulthood: The "Broaden-and-Build" Effects of Security-Enhancing Mental Representations and Interpersonal Contexts, Mario Mikulincer & Phillip R. Shaver

6. Attachment and Dyadic Regulation Processes, Nickola C. Overall & Edward P. Lemay, Jr.

7. On the Convergence of Sexual Urges and Emotional Bonds: The Interplay of the Sexual and Attachment Systems during Relationship Development, Gurit E. Birnbaum

8. An Attachment Theoretical Perspective on Optimal Dependence in Close Relationships, Brooke C. Feeney, Meredith Van Vleet, & Brittany K. Jakubiak

9. Adult Attachment Style and Parenting, Jason D. Jones, Jude Cassidy, & Phillip R. Shaver

10. Attachment Theory in Organizational Settings, Ramona L. Paetzold

11. Health and Attachment Processes, Paula R. Pietromonaco, Cassandra C. DeVito, Fiona Ge, & Jana Lembke

12. Attachment and Aged Care, Gery C. Karantzas & Jeffry A. Simpson

13. Psychopathology and Attachment, Tsachi Ein-Dor & Guy Doron

14. Attachment-Related Preventive Interventions, Mary Dozier & Caroline Roben

15. Attachment: A Guide to a New Era of Couple Interventions, Susan M. Johnson, Marie-France Lafontaine, & Tracy L. Dalgleish

Index

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About the Editors

Jeffry A. Simpson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Doctoral Minor in Interpersonal Relationships at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on adult attachment processes, human mating, idealization in relationships, empathic accuracy in relationships, social influence in relationships, and how interpersonal experiences earlier in life affect adult health and relationship outcomes. He is a recipient of the Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Midcareer Achievement in the Study of Relationships from the International Association for Relationship Research and of the Carol and Ed Diener Award for Midcareer Achievement in Social Psychology from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Dr. Simpson is the President of the International Association for Relationship Research.

• Author's website
• All titles by Jeffry A. Simpson

W. Steven Rholes, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Texas A&M University, where he has served as both department head and associate dean. He has conducted research in social cognition, children’s social development, and adult attachment. In 1992, Dr. Rholes, with Jeffry A. Simpson, published one of the first studies to confirm predictions about avoidant attachment style, using behavioral observations as evidence. For more than 20 years, the impact of attachment styles on emotional support sought and provided by members of romantic couples has been the central focus of his research, with more recent research focusing on couples during the transition to parenthood.

• Author's website

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Contributors

Gurit E. Birnbaum, PhD, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel

Jude Cassidy, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland

Tracy L. Dalgleish, PhD, CPsych, Greenbelt Family Health Team, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Cassandra C. DeVito, MS, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts

Lisa M. Diamond, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Guy Doron, PhD, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel

Mary Dozier, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Tsachi Ein-Dor, PhD, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel

Brooke C. Feeney, PhD, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

R. Chris Fraley, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, Illinois

Fiona Ge, MS, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts

Omri Gillath, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Cindy Hazan, PhD, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Brittany K. Jakubiak, MS, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Susan M. Johnson, EdD, CPsych, Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, and International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Marital and Family Therapy Program, Alliant University, San Diego, California

Jason D. Jones, MS, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland

Gery C. Karantzas, PhD, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia

Marie-France Lafontaine, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Edward P. Lemay, Jr., PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland

Jana Lembke, BA, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts

Sarah Merrill, PhD, Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Mario Mikulincer, PhD, School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel

Nickola C. Overall, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Ramona L. Paetzold, DBA, Department of Management, Texas A&M

University, College Station, Texas

Paula R. Pietromonaco, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts

W. Steven Rholes, PhD, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Caroline K. P. Roben, PhD, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Glenn I. Roisman, PhD, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Phillip R. Shaver, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California

Jeffry A. Simpson, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Meredith Van Vleet, PhD, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Vivian Zayas, PhD, Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

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Audience

Researchers and students in social, developmental, personality, and clinical psychology.

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Course Use

Serves as a primary or supplemental text in advanced undergraduate or graduate courses on attachment, close relationships, interpersonal processes, and family relationships.