Argues that a single life event has the capacity to affect not one but several lives. This thesis is related to theories on attachment, roles, and convoys. The concept of life-event webs is introduced to explain complex relations among individuals within networks such as families. (Author/RH)

Misunderstandings of African-American infant attachments are likely if evaluative standards derived from infant caregiving in traditional white middle-class culture and an external point of view are employed. An exploratory study involving 37 African-American infants found that they had between 2 and 5 primary adult caregivers, as well as a larger…

Agrees with Jackson's assertion in the previous article that the development of attachment relationships in an African-American multiple-caregiver context should be analyzed and understood on its own terms to avoid an ethnocentric "Euro-American" perspective. Emphasizes the crucial contribution of overnight care in the development of…

Discusses the two major theoretical traditions from which the ideas discussed in the Noam (PS 524 984) and the Cicchetti (PS 524 985) articles in this issue are drawn. Describes their divergences from traditional Piagetian and attachment theorists, and the approaches each has taken to common themes in their work. Concludes by setting out…

Developmental theories can be augmented by incorporating knowledge about atypical ontogenesis. Examination of individuals with high-risk conditions and psychopathological disorders can shed light on system organization, disorganization, and reorganization. Child maltreatment is examined to illustrate benefits from studying individuals subjected to…

Presents a working definition of negativism and a reconstruction of its development in the first year of life. New issues concerning the origins and nature of negativism are raised in the light of recent findings concerning attachment, autonomy, and temperament. Special attention is given to the development of "No" and symbolic negation.…

Describes ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized attachment patterns. Proposes that avoidant individuals deactivate their attachment needs, have high sense of self efficacy, and prefer objects to people; ambivalent persons hyperactivate attachment needs, have low self-efficacy, and orient more to people; and disorganized/controlling individuals…

Considers evidence for continuity and discontinuity of attachment in four major longitudinal studies. Discusses the difficulty of constructing a critical test of the prototype and stable environment hypotheses for attachment continuity. Notes that intergenerational transmission of attachment has been only indirectly addressed. (KDFB)