
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Introduction Introduction
-
The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis
-
Biosemiotics Biosemiotics
-
Complex Adaptive Systems Complex Adaptive Systems
-
Game Theory Game Theory
-
Group Selection Group Selection
-
Niche Construction Niche Construction
-
-
The Embodied Mind The Embodied Mind
-
Complex Adaptive Nervous Systems Complex Adaptive Nervous Systems
-
Attachment and Cooperation Attachment and Cooperation
-
Shared Intentions Shared Intentions
-
Shared Meanings Shared Meanings
-
-
The Extended Embodied Mind The Extended Embodied Mind
-
Alternative Life Histories Alternative Life Histories
-
Life History Theory Life History Theory
-
Cooperative Breeding Cooperative Breeding
-
Parent-Offspring Conflict Parent-Offspring Conflict
-
-
Conclusion Conclusion
-
Acknowledgments Acknowledgments
-
-
-
-
-
-
11 How Attachment Gave Rise to Culture
Get access-
Published:November 2017
Cite
Abstract
This chapter reviews advances in evolutionary theory since Bowlby and proposes that our capacity for culture emerged with the evolution of human attachment by means of selection for increased mother-infant cooperation in the resolution of parent-offspring conflict. It outlines the evolutionary-developmental logic of attachment, parent-offspring conflict, and the view of culture as “extended embodied minds.” It describes how the embodied mind and its attachments might have been extended beyond the mammalian mother-infant dyad to include expanding circles of cooperative individuals and groups. It argues that because attachment came before and gave rise to culture, no culture could long exist that did not accommodate the attachment needs of its infants. On this view, all the myriad cultural contexts of attachment foster secure-enough attachment—except when they cannot. Theory and evidence show that when mothers and others are unable to buffer their children against environmental risk and uncertainty, insecure attachment can be (or once was) evolutionarily rational. It concludes that an attachment theory fully informed by twenty-first century evolutionary theory is fully consilient with normative emic perspectives on the nature of the child and appropriate child care, in both favorable and unfavorable environments.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
December 2022 | 1 |
February 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
July 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
January 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.