Abstract
The policies most relevant to children's psychological well-being have changed dramatically in the 3 decades following J. Bowlby's first seminal writings, but there continues to be a need for a strong connection between attachment theory and child care policies. This chapter examines that connection in relation to 3 main themes. First, we approach it from a historical perspective: We note the features that differentiate attachment theory from other theories of development, with particular reference to the implications for child care policies. Second, we outline some important contemporary child care policy concerns that would benefit from an attachment perspective. Third, we focus on some of the key conceptual and methodological issues that need to be considered with respect to the application of attachment theory to child care policies and practice.
Throughout, we pay attention to 2 parallel concerns. First, we consider whether there has been something of a split between basic and applied research that may have led to conceptual confusion in attempts to apply attachment principles to practice. Second, we ask whether attachment research has taken sufficient advantage of special populations to address questions in attachment theory.
This chapter is published in the 'Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications'