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This is an ambitious and passionate attempt to do something that few would try: to bridge the gap between attachment theory and psychoanalytic theory. Goodman's scrupulously researched and written text is a manifesto of his deeply held opinion that these competing theories are not only compatible but should be used by clinicians in an integrated fashion to inform technique and better serve treatment and research. Goodman, who has trained at acclaimed institutions and is a psychoanalytic researcher with a specialty in the area of attachment, has twice received the Traditional Plumsock Prize for his work. If anyone were to succeed in demonstrating the usefulness of this idea, Goodman would seem to be the ideal candidate. In actuality, he has produced a very detailed work to support the concept that the two theoretical frameworks are conceptually related.
The author readily admits his task is ambitious. Stating that “perhaps the most controversial point of contention between psychoanalytic theory and attachment theory is their theories of motivation” (p. 4), he boldly adopts a drive theory of motivation in an attempt to integrate object relations thought and attachment theory. But even within the two fields, the theory of motivation is controversial. Goodman observes that some object relations theorists acknowledge a drive theory of motivation, while others do not. He goes on to offer his understanding of the controversy. Quoting Fonagy's statement that “the notions of drives and psychic agencies … have no place in an attachment theory framework” (1999, p. 613), he counters by saying “such an attitude might obscure the merits of a drive theory of motivation.… No one I know experiences himself or herself as a thermostat that turns on or off depending on the environment” (p. 5). Summing up his position, Goodman writes that “attachment can be viewed as a system or a drive, depending on one's point of view. If the interaction between the organism and the environment is bein