Quality of attachment has been a central variable in developmental research during recent decades. However, even though attachment is relevant to all cultures and humans of all ages, the majority of research has focused on middle class infants in Anglicized cultures. Further, the function of attachment to protect humans from danger has been overlooked in a focus on the advantages of safety and security. This volume, first published in 2000, presents a theory on attachment that broadens its range to ages beyond infancy, to many cultures and to endangered populations, including both psychopathological individuals and those living in threatening contexts. The intent is to provide new theory and methods to better understand human variation in interpersonal and cultural self-protective strategies. The expansion of the attachment classificatory system beyond its roots in infancy and to a broad range of cultures differentiates this volume from other work on attachment.

"Refreshingly provacative." --Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
"Crittenden and Claussen have collected some remarkable studies." --Contemporary Psychology, APA REVIEW OF BOOKS 2001
"... Featuring contributions by developmental attachment researchers worldwide, the book is expansive in its scope as well as its depth, drawing from studies as extensive and far reaching as the different cultures from which they originate... A rich compendium of studies, accompanied by apt analyses that may potentially anticipate the direction of attachment studies, The Organization of Attachment Relationships is a work that is invaluable for its thorough examination of what comprises the foundations of the field, and how our perceptions of culture influence the paradigm of attachment theory..." --Dr. Jacqueline A. Carleton’s & Emily Ho, European Association for Body Psychotherapy Newsletter