Loss: Sadness and Depression

Attachment and Loss #3

by John Bowlby

Bowlby's seminal contribution to the way we understand attachment concludes with an examination of loss. He offers not only a new developmental model but also rare insight into the dynamics of mourning, the problems of depression, and the processes of accommodation and healing. An appreciation by Daniel Stern, whose research on the mother/infant bond affirms and expands on Bowlby's work, fittingly graces this new edition.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Psychoanalysis, Childrens, Parenting, Counselling, Relationships

476 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Psychologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, notable for his interest in child development and for his pioneering work in attachment theory.

Reviews

[Ted Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

May years ago, reading Bowlby defined an important interval in my reading and thinking. This was the third book in the series "Attachment", "Separation", and "Loss" that shaped my personal experience and my thought about psychology. Other works later took precedence over Bowlby's theories and investigations but they did not fully supplant them.

"Loss" was the most important in the series for me personally because it explained fundamental aspects of my childhood that I was not able to resolve until over a decade since I had read Bowlby. The good man wrote the book to read about depression in my view.

I would have to reread this work now or fully review it to review it but I do recall it being important to me.

[Nelson Zagalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand what sadness is, and how it works, this is the book to start.

[Ava]

No rating - read for college.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent seminal text. Print font displayed as original text. Chapters remain relevant to contemporary society. Can be read as well as reference text.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

helpful discussion on anxiety and angst.

[Judy]

children experience loss and mourn in their development.

[Miriam Uhrínová · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth review of theories and researches on topic of loss. It explores the theme from many angles (widows, loss of a child and the process of children mourning). Very informative, but sometimes, in my opinion it has very lenghty descriptions of researches that skew the main point.