A Secure Base

Library Journal

This collection of recent lectures by a British psychiatrist supports the theory that there are three patterns of parent-child attachmentsecure, anxious resistant, and anxious avoidantand explores the consequences of all three. Bowlby affirms that the psychologically healthy person is one who has learned to explore the world confidently, returning to an attachment figure for affirmation and comfort when necessary. The sections on delinquency and family violence and on adults suffering from an ``amnesia'' imposed on them as children are compelling in their practical applications. Recommended for academic libraries but of limited value to the layperson or parent. Nancy M. Laskowski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia