Introduction

This entire issue of the Journal is devoted to presentations given at a conference held in New York City on December 1-2, 2000. The purpose of the conference was to discuss the state of art in attachment research and theory by some of the leading figures in the area. And, indeed, the list of participants in the conference read like a Who's Who in attachment research and theory. We were very fortunate in having them agree to participate in the conference. The conference was organized to include three, 2-hour sessions of three participants per session on December 1, two such sessions on December 2, and then a final session on that same day where all the participants and the audience took part in the discussion.

As readers of the Journal know, attachment research and theory has attracted enormous interest from a wide range of people who are concerned with issues of development, with human interaction, and with intervention. We hope that the papers included here contribute to the further development of this vital area of research and theory. Our intention was to place the emphasis on interaction and discussion among the participants rather than on the lengthy papers often given at conferences. Accordingly, we asked each participant to present only a 15-minute position paper, which then left a good deal of time for discussion among the participants and for questions from the audience.

Before proceeding to the substance of the conference presentations, I want to express our enormous gratitude to Drs. Gary and Jenny Cox-Steiner who, through their foundation, the Center for Mental Health Promotion, provided the funds that made this conference possible. Drs. Cox-Steiner are themselves psychologists and psychoanalysts who, through their foundation, have supported graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in attachment research, as well as also generously provided support for my work. Drs. Cox-Steiner have dedicated themselves to contributing to the welfare