Luther Rice Journal of Christian Studies
P a g e | 58
Attachment Theory: Overview and Integration with Biblical Counseling By Nicholas Shipley1 Introduction The development of attachment theory can be traced back to British psychologist John Bowlby.2 Influenced by his own upbringing, and work in children’s homes, Bowlby sought to understand the anxiety and stress children may experience when separated from their primary caregiver.3 While Bowlby’s original focus was the parent-child attachment, his theories have been used and expanded to cover other attachment-based relationships including adults, religion, and organizational environments. The purpose of this paper is three-fold. First, this paper will outline the major influences of Bowlby’s attachment theory, as well as the bonds of parent-child relationships and other attachment functions, the impact of early attachment, and psychophysiological considerations of the attachment system. This foundation is important to understanding the expansion of Bowlby’s theories to adult models of attachment. Second, this paper will discuss the potential integration of attachment theory in a biblical counseling setting, specifically regarding an adult’s response to God’s as an attachment figure.
1
Nicholas Shipley is a student in the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling program at Luther Rice College & Seminary. 2
John Bowlby, Attachment, vol. 1, Attachment and Loss, 2nd ed. (New York: Basic Books, 1982). 3
Richard Bowlby and Pearl King, Fifty Years of Attachment Theory (London: Karnac on behalf of the Winnicott Clinic of Psychotherapy, 2004), 12-13.
