The attachment effect: exploring the powerful ways our earliest bond shapes our relationships and lives

Description

A revealing look at attachment theory, uncovering how our early childhood experiences create a blueprint for all our relationships to come-- not just romantic ones, but at work, in friendships, with our kids, and more Attachment theory is having a moment. Recently covered in the New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, and elsewhere, it's also the subject of popular relationship guides. Why is this 60-year-old theory, widely accepted in psychological circles, suddenly in vogue? Because people are discovering how powerfully it sheds light on who we love--and how. Fascinated by the subject, award-winning journalist and author Peter Lovenheim went on a years-long journey to understand it from the inside out. Interviewing researchers, professors, counselors, and other experts, as well as individuals and couples whose attachment stories illuminate and embody the theory's key concepts. The result is this engaging, relatable, and revealing book, which is part science journalism, part memoir, part psychological guide--and a fascinating read for anyone who wants to better understand the needs and dynamics that drive the relationships in their lives. Topics include: *What it means to be securely and insecurely attached *How our early childhood experiences create a blueprint for future relationships--and how to use those insights to gain self-awareness and growth *Why anxious and avoidant attachment types tend to attract each other, and how to break the negative cycle *How anyone can work to become "earned secure" regardless of their upbringing and past relationships.