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The secure attachment system is a paleo fantasy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2026

Marga Vicedo
Marga Vicedo*
Affiliation:
IHPST, University of Toronto, Victoria College, Toronto, ON, Canada marga.vicedo@utoronto.ca
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

As Bard, Keller, and Leavens show, attachment theory does not account for the diversity of child-rearing practices around the world. However, the entrenched commitment to Bowlby’s idea that the attachment system is a biological adaptation prevents attachment researchers from fully understanding the import of such diversity. I argue that this idea relies on a static and flawed view of evolution.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e281
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© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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