Parents and children: facts and fallacies about attachment theory.

John Bowlby's attachment theory has had a profound effect on the way we think about parent-child relationships and the way young babies are cared for. Bowlby observed that children appear to do better if they grow up with a sense that someone cares about them and that someone will be there to help them when they are anxious or distressed. He explained why attachment relationships are so important for social and emotional wellbeing, and argued that good maternal care was essential for psychological health. Bowlby's ideas have been gaining strong support again recently, although it is important to distinguish between what he actually wrote and the many myths and misunderstandings about his work.