Bowlby's attachment theory explains grief as the attachment system's response to permanent separation from a bond figure. Longing, searching, and protest are evolutionarily designed responses to recover the loved one; when this proves impossible, the system must reorganize. Previous attachment style shapes how loss is processed.
Concept origin
Bowlby published his trilogy "Attachment and Loss" between 1969 and 1980 (Attachment, Separation, Loss). Colin Murray Parkes (1972) empirically applied the theory to adult grief in "Bereavement." Today it is the theoretical framework connecting developmental psychology with grief clinics.
Therapeutic approach
Attachment-based therapeutic work identifies how previous attachment style (secure, anxious, avoidant) influences the process: anxious attachment may predispose to prolonged grief; avoidant attachment may make it difficult to contact pain. Therapy works on internal security as a resource.
Related concepts
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