Attachment theory is based on the late British psychoanalyst John Bowlby's understanding of the process by which the infant becomes attached to its mother. Clinical psychologist Costello (communication, Adelphi U., New York) makes a case for the usefulness of this developmental theory as a general therapeutic framework, given its compatibility with many approaches to psychotherapy treating the consequences of unsuccessful attachment, its emphasis on the primacy of the patient-therapist relationship as security-engendering, and research support. Arguably more than Bowlby, he considers fathers as key secondary attachment figures. Includes case examples. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)