The Attachment Lineage

Attachment theory is arguably the single most influential framework in contemporary psychotherapy. John Bowlby proposed that human beings are biologically wired to seek proximity to caregivers — and that the quality of early attachment relationships shapes personality, emotion regulation, and relational patterns throughout life. Mary Ainsworth gave the theory empirical teeth. Mary Main added disorganized attachment and intergenerational transmission. Allan Schore and Daniel Siegel brought neuroscience, showing how attuned relationships literally shape brain development. From these foundations, an entire tradition of attachment-based therapies emerged — all sharing the conviction that healing happens in relationship.