Attachment and Parent-Offspring Conflict: Origins in Ancestral Contexts of Breastfeeding and Multiple Caregiving

The Element builds on the mainstream theory of attachment and contemporary understanding of the environment of evolutionary adaptedness to address the origin and nature of infant-maternal bond formation. It proposes that attachment behaviors for protesting against separation and usurpation were compelled by infants' needs for close and undivided access to a source of breast milk, and that the affectional nature of infant-maternal attachment originated within contexts of breastfeeding.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 76 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2024
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This Element builds on the mainstream theory of attachment and contemporary understanding of the environment of evolutionary adaptedness to address the origin and nature of infant-maternal bond formation.

Sections 2 and 3 propose that attachment behaviors for protesting against separation and usurpation were compelled by infants' needs for close and undivided access to a source of breast milk, usually mothers, for three years to counter threats of undernutrition and disease that were the leading causes of infant mortality. Since these attachment behaviors would not have been presented unless they were compelled by maternal resistance, their arising is also attributed to parent-offspring conflict.

Section 4 theorizes that the affectional nature of infant-maternal attachment originated within contexts of breastfeeding. Uniform and universal features of exclusive versus complementary breastfeeding, that could entail diverse experiences among multiple caregivers, may have shaped adaptations so that love relationships with mothers differ from those with nonmaternal caregivers.

The Element also discusses the implications of these findings for understanding the development of attachment in other species and for clinical practice. It highlights the importance of considering the evolutionary context in which attachment arises and the potential benefits of promoting breastfeeding as a means of promoting healthy attachment and child development.

Overall, this Element provides a comprehensive and innovative framework for understanding the origin and nature of infant-maternal bond formation, with implications for both scientific research and clinical practice.

Weight: 124g
ISBN-13: 9781009371919