A perspective-based analysis of attachment from prenatal period to second year postnatal life

TL;DR

This paper reviews how attachment develops from the prenatal period to the second year of life, considering genetic, neurobiological, and cognitive factors.

Contribution

The paper proposes a new superordinate model of attachment that integrates multiple perspectives and extends the timeline to include the prenatal period.

Findings

Attachment may begin in prototypical forms during the prenatal period.

The intrauterine period is a time of high sensitivity to stimuli from the biological mother.

A unified model of attachment is needed to regulate its various components and variables.

Abstract

Attachment is one of the foundational themes in the history of the psychological development of human beings. For this reason, we assume that it must be approached by taking into account multiple scientific perspectives. The present review aims at analyzing the state of the art regarding the genetic, neurobiological and cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of attachment bonding, considering the child as the frame of reference. We hypothesize that attachment may be present in prototypical forms even in the prenatal period, thus our analysis has a temporal origin in the intrauterine period preceding birth. The intrauterine period is assumed to be a period of maximum sensitivity to stimuli and in particular to those coming from a potential primary caregiver: the biological mother. We conclude with a reframing of the state of the art and propose that future research work would benefit from a superordinate model of attachment, capable of containing and regulating all its components and variables.

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