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John Bowlby: His Early Life. By Suzan van Dijken. London: Free Association Books. 1998. Paperback, L15.95. ISBN 1-85343-393-4.
John Bowlby is certainly one of the most renowned British psychologists. Indeed, it has been suggested that in terms of its impact on twentieth century developmental psychology his theory of attachment ranks alongside that proposed by Piaget (Schaffer, 1986). Suzan van Dijken's biography of Bowlby's early life comes almost a decade after his death and as such is a timely attempt to fill in the gaps in what is known about this influential figure.
In addition to adding to what is known about Bowlby the individual this biography has a raison d'etre to proselytise van Dijken's view that his interest in separation and attachment was stirred by his own formative years. She proposes that it is a common misconception that Bowlby's ideas were simply the product of his clinical experiences with the. traumatised children of post-war Britain. While this book does not overlook the importance of his work with James Robertson, which led to the now famous film 'A two year-old goes to hospital', and his research for WHO on the effects of homelessness, it suggests that the seeds of attachment...