Tracing the historical roots of attachment theory though its evolutionary stages, Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood brings the reader up to date with recent developments in the area as well as providing thoughts for the way forward into the future. It benefits greatly from contributions by people whose names are instantly recognisable for their seminal work within the area of attachment theory and it is interesting to learn about their diverse backgrounds and what motivated their interest in the subject. It is perhaps this eclectic mix of experience, and the synthesis of key disciplines including ethology, behavioural psychology and linguistics, that have enabled attachment theory to progress and develop to the extent it has over the years.

In addition to reporting findings from major longitudinal studies carried out in America and Europe, the authors discuss the many and complex methodological issues inherent in this type of research, particularly in relation to studying development across the lifespan. They examine the effects of mediating variables and their influence on the relationship between infant attachment and adult outcomes. The studies also show that it is not only mothers but fathers and, as discussed in chapter 7, multiple caregivers in the Kibbutz setting in Israel who influence and contribute to attachment outcomes in later life. Another important dimension, as outlined in chapter 11, is a focus on children who experience disruptions as a result of their placement in foster care.

The book is accessible and is written in an approachable manner that will appeal to students, researchers and others at various stages in their careers. One criticism I have is that the extremely naïve reader has to wait until chapter 10 before a full description of the ‘strange situation’ experiment, referred to throughout the book, is given.

As a proponent of longitudinal research and a user of the recently introduced Northern Ireland Household Panel survey, I found this book interesting and informative about the relationship between early attachment processes and outcomes in later life. As a parent it has caused me to study, somewhat warily, my own adult children's attachment behaviours!