Separation and divergence: The untold story of James Robertson's and John Bowlby's theoretical dispute on mother–child separation
✍ Scribed by Frank C. P. van der Horst; René van der Veer
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2009
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 95 KB
- Volume
- 45
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-5061
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The work of Robertson and Bowlby is generally seen as complementary, Robertson being the practically oriented observer and Bowlby focusing on theoretical explanations for Robertson's observations. The authors add to this picture an “untold story” of the collaboration between Robertson and Bowlby: the dispute between the two men that arose in the 1960s about the corollaries of separation and the ensuing personal animosity. On the basis of unique archival materials, this until now little known aspect of the history of attachment theory is extensively documented. The deteriorating relationship between Robertson and Bowlby is described against the background of different currents in psychoanalysis in Britain in the interbellum. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.