Disorganized attachment and caregiving /

This book builds on the work Solomon (Bridgeport Hospital, CT) and George (Mills College) presented in their first edited volume, Attachment Disorganization (CH, Mar'00, 37-4169). The central argument of the present volume is that disorganized attachment and caregiving should be viewed as the product of a dysregulated parent-child relationship, rather than as characteristic of an infant, child, or caregiver. The subjective experiences of parents and children engaged in disorganized attachment relationships are explored, and the intergenerational transmission of these dysregulated processes is addressed, to demonstrate that a focus on the two-party caregiving system can benefit research and clinical practice. The second section of the book, "New Directions," looks at new approaches to the study of disorganization; e.g., chapters examine a new questionnaire to assess caregiving helplessness, assess the impact of gender on disorganized attachments, and analyze disorganization with adolescents. The final section focuses on the clinical applications of these themes across the life span and across populations--such as mothers who have lost custody of their children and maltreated children in foster care. Chapters focusing on the use of the Adult Attachment Projective Picture system with patients diagnosed with borderline personality or dissociative disorders are particularly interesting. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. R. B. Stewart Jr. Oakland University