Felicity Stockwell, who is well known for her study of  The Unpopular Patient,  shares her knowledge and understanding about the ‘social aspects’ of being human, and of the part played by the process of Maternal-Infant Bonding. (This will be called Bonding on the site hereafter)

The site offers a commentary account of this very complex process. Textbooks pay scant attention to Bonding, and although there is much evidence for the facts, it can only be found for small particulars across many different disciplines.

(J.Bowlby defined attachment and D.W.Winnicot defined adaptation and they both recognised the formation of a bond between mother and baby, but focused on the mother rather than the infant.)

The following papers are the result of collecting together information and understandings over a lifetime, and then putting them together like jigsaw pieces to make sense of the ‘whole’ infant and mother process, and its implications for all human behaviour.

The Bonding Process is the generator of all our social behaviour, and therefore, learning about it can be of interest to everyone. It is hoped that scientists and practitioners from the wide diversity of relevant disciplines, will discover aspects about Bonding that throw light on their particular spheres of work and interest, and maybe gain new insights.

The first pages provide the knowledge base accounts of Bonding.

The later pages give accounts of applying the understandings in various professional situations.

(I have used Nursing as the exemplar for applying understandings about Bonding, because that is my area of expertise. I have to hope that there is enough information for others to make their own connections)

The most salient facts in each paper will be in bold.

Facts I have been unable to corroborate will be in italics.

My own understandings will be in green.

Queries and comments can be sent to   pat.bowker@virgin.net

(Last edited   January 2013)