About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about Bowlby’s fascination with Darwin and the way in which evolutionary theory has influenced attachment theory, focusing in particular on: (i) Mary Ainsworth’s attachment types, reconceptualising the positives and negatives of each type in light of modern evolutionary theory; (ii) Viktor Frankl; (iii) Shaver’s idea of neuroplasticity in the context of environmental sensitivity; (iv) epigenetics.

About the lecturer

Jeremy Holmes is a visiting professor of psychology at the University of Exeter. He is a consultant psychiatrist and a psychoanalytic psychotherapist who specialises in attachment theory. Professor Holmes has authored a number of books on attachment theory, which explore its history, as well as bringing it together with modern psychoanalytical theory. Some of Professor Holmes’ recent publications include ‘Friston’s free energy principle: new life for psychoanalysis?’ (2021) and ‘Therapeutic mechanisms in attachment-informed psychotherapy in adults’ (2021).