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Socio‐genealogical connectedness, attachment theory, and childcare practice
Author(s) -
OwusuBempah J.,
Howitt Dennis
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
child and family social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-2206
pISSN - 1356-7500
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2206.1997.00055.x
Subject(s) - social connectedness , attachment theory , welfare , sociology , field (mathematics) , developmental psychology , complement (music) , psychology , social psychology , political science , law , biochemistry , chemistry , mathematics , complementation , pure mathematics , gene , phenotype
At the heart of child welfare policy and practice are issues of loss and separation, issues of loss and discontinuity of parent–child or carer–child ties. Consequently, John Bowlby’s ideas concerning attachment have been influential in this field over the past 50 years. This paper argues that the society in which Bowlby originally developed his ideas has altered greatly; in Western societies, family dynamics have changed remarkably, and continue to change. The present paper therefore argues that these ideas may not adequately address the developmental needs of to‐day’s children. Hence, it puts forward the notion of socio‐genealogical connectedness to complement our existing knowledge and understanding of the psycho‐social developmental needs of modern‐day children. The notion's implications for policy and practice are also highlighted.