From Oedipus to attachment

This chapter briefly outlines Freudian psychoanalytic theory as related to children’s development, and its influence on later theorists such as those of the object relations school and those advancing the concepts of maternal deprivation and attachment, and the related issues of grief and loss. Influential concepts included the idea of ‘internal working models’ of human relationships and differentiation between disrupted bonding with caregivers and a lack of social stimulation. Cultural and feminist critiques of attachment theory questioned the central role of the mother in both western and non-western contexts. Some aspects of Freudian thought, including continuity of development from the early years and unconscious processes, have permeated psychology and western culture more broadly. A period that has been described as ‘Freud-bashing’ is perhaps being replaced by a more balanced assessment of his legacy.