Peter Fonagy

Attachment Theory and PsychoanalysisAttachment Theory and Psychoanalysis
by Peter Fonagy
New York: Other Press, 2001.

In this book, Peter Fonagy explores the family feud between attachment theory and its nursemaid, traditional psychoanalytic theory. Their split may be traced to the moment in 1973 when Bowlby compared psychoanalysis to a single-track railway, insisting on the inevitable path toward examining early developmental phases - whereas 'multi-track' attachment theory allowed for a myriad web of possible tracks. Strongly criticized and often misunderstood, attachment theory was seen as disregarding drive theory and all its complex symbolism and ignoring the rich spectrum of the vulnerabilities of human emotion. In reality, the pathways of theories of attachment and psychoanalytic theory trace similar territories. Examining their pivotal crossroads, Fonagy traces a history of inter-influence and mutual corrective retorts. Fonagy delves into the relations between attachment theory and major psychoanalytic schools of thought, from that of Anna Freud, reluctant to dismiss the seminal research of her father, to those of Erickson, Hartmann, Klein, Mahler, and Sandler, among others. Fonagy successfully undertakes an integrative approach to the bad blood between psychoanalysis and attachment theory, a history of frantic dispute and yet frequent convergence.

'An extraordinary analysis….Peter Fonagy's book offers a unique and remarkable contribution to our understanding of the meaningful relationship that has evolved between psychoanalytic and attachment theories…..The volume will become an invaluable resource for developmental psychoanalysis.'
Joy D. Osofsky, Professor at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centre, Coeditor of WAIMH Handbook of Infant Mental Health

 

Translations:

Psychoanalytic Theories
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