Understanding Attachment and Attachment Disorders: Theory, Evidence and Practice

Understanding Attachment and Attachment Disorders: Theory, Evidence and Practice 
Vivien Prior and Danya Glaser, 
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN 101843102455 
£19.99 

STAR RATING: 3/5

The work of John Bowlby’s attachment theory continues to develop and grow with this new volume, writes David O’Driscoll.

Focusing on understanding attachment and attachment disorders (the latter being a new term, unknown to me and I suspect to most professionals?), this diagnosis has begun to be used widely in the fields of ­fostering, adoption and looked-after children.

Attachment is a feature of all cultures, and persistent disregard of the child’s emotional or physical needs, which prevent formation of ­stable attachment, can lead to difficulties in adulthood.

The book is split into five sections: attachment and care-giving assessments of attachment and care giving correlates of attachment organisation with functioning defining attachment disorder and interventions. As always with attachment theory, there is a huge amount of research quoted this is both a strength and weakness.

The authors give a comprehensive insight into the latest research, assessment and significance of attachment theories cross-culturally, yet I found all this information overwhelming at times. It may be useful for readers to use this book for specific areas of reference.

I was also not convinced about this new diagnosis. As an attachment-based psychotherapist, I understand the importance of broken attachment and I believe it may have been more helpful to focus on the treatment of poor attachment than attachment disorder.

David O’Driscoll is a psychotherapist and assistant director at Respond, a national learning disabilities charity