Behavior and the Development of Representational Models of Attachment: Five Methods of Assessment

Mary Main’s groundbreaking book, unpublished until now, offers a full account of the methods she developed that revolutionized attachment research, explores her conceptual frameworks and methodologies, including the Adult Attachment Interview and coding systems, and provides essential insights into attachment theory.

The book delves into Main’s innovative methods, such as the Adult Attachment Interview, the 6-year systems introducing controlling strategies, and an advanced coding system for disorganized attachment. It also includes theoretical discussions that remain highly relevant today, even as some methods are no longer in use. This work captures the depth of her contributions.

This book is indispensable for psychologists, researchers, and students of attachment theory. It is also valuable for professionals in developmental psychology, social work, and related fields seeking to understand Mary Main’s revolutionary ideas and their lasting impact on attachment research.

Mary Main (deceased) was a professor of psychology emerita, University of California, Berkeley. She was the co-originator of the Adult Attachment Interview (protocol and scoring and classification system). She also collaborated in the development of many other attachment-related methods, including infant disorganized attachment and frightening/frightened behavior. Mary Main’s original manuscript has been edited by Robbie Duschinsky, Erik Hesse, Kate White, and Pehr Granqvist.

Robbie Duschinsky is a professor of social science and health at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. His books include Developments in Attachment Research (2025) and Cornerstones of Attachment Research (2020).

Erik Hesse is an adjunct associate professor (retired) at the University of California, Berkeley. He collaborated in the discovery and development of methods related to "cannot classify" in the Strange Situation, and frightened/frightening parental behavior.

Kate White is a retired attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapist, supervisor, and member of The Bowlby Centre, London. She is the editor emerita of the journal Attachment: New Directions in Psychotherapy and Relational Psychoanalysis. She is currently the series editor of The Bowlby Centre Monographs, published by Routledge. Her publications include co-editing Trauma and Loss: Key Texts from the John Bowlby Archive (Routledge, 2019) with Robbie Duschinsky.

Pehr Granqvist is a professor of psychology at Stockholm University. His research spans attachment theory across the lifespan, with particular focus on attachment measurement, disorganized attachment, and applications. He has contributed widely to both empirical and theoretical advancements in the field.