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Attachment & Human Development 6(4), 451-464, 2004
We are grateful to Carol Magai and Nathan Consedine for inviting us to comment on the innovative articles in this special issue of Attachment & Human Development, which deals with attachment in late life. Attachment theory has gradually been extended from its original focus on affectional bonds between infants and their parental caregivers (e.g. ; ) to adult romantic and marital relationships (e.g. ; ; ) and now to older adults' close, sustaining relationships. The new focus falls within the intended scope of the theory; both Bowlby and Ainsworth wrote theoretically about attachment across the lifespan. Until recently, however, there were few empirical studies of attachment in the later years, a phase of life that raises interesting questions about the reversal of roles between older adults and their grown-up offspring, the gradual reduction in number of relationship partners as a person ages, and the possible shift of caregiving functions from human relationship partners to God, other religious figures, and internalized images of lost partners (e.g. deceased parents, siblings, and spouses). These engaging topics are addressed in this special issue.
Psychoanalytic Dialogues 15(1), 1-16, 2005
This author posits that, perhaps because of its religious implications, psychoanalysis has historically avoided speaking of forgiveness, although playwrights have often depicted forgiveness as a psychological mechanism that can help resolve cycles of anger and revenge. The Laramie Project , a play about how a US town deals with a murder and its aftermath, provides an example of the way in which forgiveness offers an exit from vengeance. The play points to both the positive and the negative roles that religious ideas play in human actions. At the same time, however, the play itself avoids some of