Oslo: attachment and risk

Aika
16.10.2007

Nordic conference on

Attachment and Risk

In Oslo, Norway 15th – 16th of October 2007 Voksenåsen Conference center

Konressin kotisivut

The National network for infant mental health in Norway/ RBUP has the pleasure of inviting you to a Nordic conference on Attachment and Risk, which will take place on October the 15th – 16th 2007. Internationally renowned researchers, who have made considerable contributions to the field, are invited as speakers. At the conference an initiative will be taken to establish a Nordic forum for attachment researchers.

Attachment theory is based on cognitive-, behavioralpsychoanalytic– biological-, and evolutionary perspectives and draws interest from researchers and professionals from several disciplines. John Bowlby introduced attachment theory in the beginning of the 50’s, and since then research within the field has steadily confirmed the relevance of his work.

Attachment behavior constitutes the child’s proximity seeking to or avoidance of a primary caregiver when the child is distressed. A child’s expectation of how the primary caregiver will comfort, is called an “internal working model”. Attachment behavior appears through life with “internal working models” being relatively stable, even across generations. Although attachment theory proposes stability under stable life circumstances, recent knowledge of human neuropsychology offers possibility for change, and an optimistic view for children and families at risk.