In this issue, there appears a “consensus statement” in the review paper “Disorganized attachment in infancy: A review of the phenomenon and its implications for clinicians and policy makers”, multiauthored by a large international group of scientists. The consensus statement contained in this review paper urges caution and hope regarding the concept of disorganized/disoriented attachment during infancy. Clinicians, researchers, and policy-makers should find much in this review paper that deserves close attention.
It was more than 30 years ago when the phenomenon was first identified by Mary Main and Judith Solomon (Citation1986, Citation1990). That is, the paradoxical occurrence of diverse conflict behaviors shown by an infant in the presence of the caregiver. Yet, there are multiple meanings underlying this conflict behavior, some benign and some more ominous (see Granqvist et al. (Citation2016)). Consequently, the actions that are called be for in terms of (1) further research; (2) clinical intervention; or (3) child protection policies are not yet fully settled and thus merit much reflection and ongoing discussion (see Granqvist (Citation2016)). It is against this background, and with these goals in mind, that the review paper, with its consensus statement, was prepared and agreed upon. The effort reflects a current ongoing systematic effort to clarify what we know, and what should be done with our knowledge, concerning attachment disorganization (e.g. Duschinsky, Citation2015; Granqvist et al., Citation2016).
References
- Duschinsky, R. (2015). The emergence of the disorganized/disoriented (D) attachment classification, 1979–1982. History of Psychology, 18, 32–46. doi:10.1037/a0038524
- Granqvist, P. (2016). Observations of disorganized behaviours yield no magic wand: Response to Shemmings. Attachment & Human Development, 18(6), 529–533. doi:10.1080/14616734.2016.1189994
- Granqvist, P., Hesse, E., Fransson, M., Main, M., Hagekull, B., & Bohlin, G. (2016). Prior participation in the strange situation and overstress jointly facilitate disorganized behaviours: Implications for theory, research and practice. Attachment & Human Development, 18, 235–249. doi:10.1080/14616734.2016.1151061
- Main, M., & Solomon, J. (1986). Discovery of a new, insecure-disorganized/disoriented attachment pattern. In M. Yogman & T. B. Brazelton (Eds.), Affective development in infancy (pp. 95–124). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
- Main, M., & Solomon, J. (1990). Procedures for identifying infants as disorganised/disoriented during the Ainsworth Strange Situation. In M. T. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti., & E. M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years (pp. 121–160). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.