2004 Awardees

German Enrique Posada For Observational Studies Of Maternal Sensitivity And Infant Secure Base Behavior Across Cultures

One of the central hypotheses of attachment theory is that the capacity for secure base relationships is part of our evolutionary heritage. Difficult to formulate and translate into empirical tests, this hypothesis is easily misunderstood and often a point of controversy. In a series of imaginative ethnographic and observational studies, German Posada demonstrated that Mary Ainsworth’s descriptions of maternal sensitivity transcend culture and method and that the secure base phenomenon is characteristic of infants across a wide range of cultures. He also argued convincingly that the attachment generality hypothesis depends on demonstrating links between sensitivity and security across context and culture. His collaborative observational studies in ordinary and emergency caregiving contexts in Colombia, SA support the generality of Mary Ainsworth’s conclusions from her Baltimore study. They also emphasize the continuing value of observational methods and help secure the future of attachment study.

Special Award Dorothy Southern For Being A Secure Base To John Bowlby

For over 30 years, Dorothy Southern was John Bowlby's secretary and assistant at the Tavistock Clinic. Skillful and dedicated, her finger- print is on every page of Bowlby's many letters, articles, books.

Through times of exhilarating discovery and in the face of sometimes harsh critics, Bowlby knew she was always there for him - devoted to his work and to him personally. A secure base well deserved and well provided.