Separation: Anxiety and Anger

By John Bowlby

Book Overview

A classic work of psychology shedding new light on parent-child separation and the origins of fear

"A turning point in the history of psychoanalysis and in psychology generally." ―Times Literary Supplement

Written by the pioneering theorist of attachment, John Bowlby's Separation considers separation and the anxiety that accompanies it: the fear of imminent or anticipated separation, the fear induced by parental threats of separation, and the inversion of the parent-child relationship. Building upon his previous work on the ties between parents and children, Bowlby documents children's distress during separation, and the anxiety that often persists afterward, showing that fear is initially aroused by certain elemental situations―sudden movement, darkness or separation. Blending psychoanalytic theory with empirical observation, he re-examines the situations that cause us to feel fear and compares them with evidence from animals, shedding light on the factors that contribute to anxiety and the susceptibility to fear in adulthood.

The second of three volumes in Attachment and Loss, Separation provides a unique exploration of anxiety in the parent-child relationship.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465097162
• ISBN13: 9780465097166
• Release Date: December 1976
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

My personal choice

Bowlby is one of my favorite psychologists because his theory reflects real life tightly, very applicable. If you are a psychology major or interest in intricated mother-child relationship and its influence on later life, don't miss it.

Seminal work on attachment and loss, Technical, but readable.

Bowlby is a clear and cogent thinker who takes time to look at an important issue in tremendous detail. Taking into account much previous research and theorizing, he accepts and refutes a wide body of work in making his point. You may not agree with all of his conclusions (I may not agree with all of his conclusions), but this is not a book to be discounted lightly. Should be required reading for anyone interested in the fields of psychoanalysis and child development.

Classic study of an important topic

This book was first published in 1973, and the work of it was done mostly in the 1960's by Briton Dr. Bowlby. It's "Volume Two" of a trilogy, but does not have to read along with the companion volumes. Like his other two works on childhood, this interesting work, again, introduces his ideas and promotes a compassionate understanding of the lives of children.Separation anxiety, anxious attachment, and other phenomena of attachment are well-known and accepted reactions now - we expect it from our pets as well as our babies - but at one time, were less well understood (and anticipated.) This work, lucidly and compassionately, lays it out for the reader. The book is divided into three sections, and in a well-organized and deeply accessible fashion, Bowlby proceeds. The Sections are "Security, Anxiety, and Distress," "An Ethological Approach to Human Fear," and finally, "Individual Differences in Susceptibility to Fear: Anxious Attachment".Bowlby uses his own prior clinical work and that of others to support his assertions. The father's role, the role of anger and fear, and many other factors are discussed. This is a scholarly study, and has much to tell readers. It's thoroughly readable and interesting, not only for its subject but because Bowlby can tell a story and hold the reader's interest through-out. Not a "how-to" or a quick fix - rather, a deeply sensible and basic study. Highly recommended for parents, teachers, clinicians.