Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood The Major Longitudinal Studies

Attachment from Infancy to Adulthoodprovides unique and valuable firsthand accounts of the most important longitudinal studies of attachment. It presents new insights on a range of research programs that have broadened our understanding of attachment, in and outside of the family context, and its role in individual adaptation throughout life. In addition to discussing the pivotal findings that emerged from each study, a number of leading investigators offer rare reflections on the process of scientific discovery. Themes addressed include the complexities of designing studies that span years or even decades; challenges in translating theoretical constructs into age-appropriate assessments; the ways in which Bowlby's original models have been refined and elaborated; and how attachment interacts with other key variables that shape individual developmental trajectories.

Klaus E. Grossmann (PhD, University of Arkansas, 1965; Hab., University of Freiburg, 1970) first discovered the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth while conducting ethological and experimental research at the University of Freiburg's Institute for Biology after receiving his doctoral degree. He was appointed Full Professor at Bielefeld University, Germany, in 1970, and began the Bielefeld Longitudinal Study in 1973. In 1977, he moved his laboratory to the University of Regensburg and started a second long-term longitudinal attachment study. Professor Grossmann's numerous publications include, most recently, a collection of John Bowlby's and Mary Ainsworth's key papers in German translation with commentary (coedited with Karin Grossmann).

Karin Grossmann (PhD, University of Regensburg, 1984) is a Senior Scientist in Psychology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. Dr. Grossmann's research focuses on longitudinal and cross-cultural research in attachment. Widely published, she recently coauthored (with Klaus Grossmann) a book based on the Bielefeld and Regensburg longitudinal studies. She also teaches and publishes on the applications of attachment theory and research in family matters.

Everett Waters (PhD, University of Minnesota, 1977) is Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a founding member of the New York Attachment Consortium. At the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development, Dr. Waters studied ethology and evolution with William Charlesworth and the concept of development and emotional development with L. Alan Sroufe. His extensive publications include the classic volume Patterns of Attachment (coauthored with Mary Ainsworth and colleagues) and two Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.