Separation

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.