Attachment has long been a key area of social development. Work on attachment processes has involved a variety of species as well as humans in diverse cultures and at various points in the life cycle. This volume presents research devoted to the meaning and implications of the attachment concept, including possible indices of attachment, the role of learning, whether or not attachment is best treated as continuous or discontinuous, and considerations for viewing attachment as a trait across environmental settings or as a process with functions that operate differently in disparate settings. Other psychological-process concepts, such as imprinting, relationships, and identification are also discussed. Because the contributors are active researchers and theorists, this volume may help establish trends and determine directions to shape literature on attachment for years to come.

Contents: Part I:The Environment and Attachment. M. Lewis, C. Feiring, Attachment as Personal Characteristic or a Measure of the Environment. L.A. Rosenblum, G.S. Paully, Evolutionary and Environmental Factors Influencing Attachment Patterns in Nonhuman Primates. G.A. Morelli, E.Z. Tronick, Efe Multiple Caretaking and Attachment. Part II:Imprinting and Attachment. E.H. Hess, S.B. Petrovich, Ethology and Attachment: A Historical Perspective. S.B. Petrovich, J.L. Gewirtz, Imprinting and Attachment: Proximate and Ultimate Considerations. Part III:Early Communication and Attachment. H. Papou ek, M. Papou ek, S.J. Soumi, C.W. Rahn, Preverbal Communication and Attachment: Comparative Views. J.L. Gewirtz, M. Pel ez-Nogueras, The Attachment Metaphor and the Conditioning of Infant Separation Protests. Part IV:Stress, Temperament, and Attachment. N.A. Fox, R.J. Davidson, Hemispheric Specialization and Attachment Behaviors: Developmental Processes and Individual Differences in Separation Protest. T. Field, Attachment and Early Separations from Parents and Peers. Part V:Conceptions Impacting Attachment. M.J. Levitt, Attachment and Close Relationships: A Life Span Perspective. S. Feshbach, Attachment Processes in Adult Political Ideology: Patriotism and Nationalism. Part VI:Identification and Attachment. L. Kohlberg, R. Diessner, A Cognitive-Developmental Approach to Moral Attachment. J.L. Gewirtz, Identification, Attachment, and Their Developmental Sequencing in a Conditioning Frame. M.L. Commons, A Comparison and Synthesis of Kohlberg's Cognitive-Developmental and Gewirtz's Learning-Developmental Attachment Theories. Part VII:Pathology and Attachment. D.K. Routh, J.E. Bernholtz, Attachment, Separation, and Phobias.