Study Advances the Global Understanding of Human Attachment and Emotional Development
Dr. Kazuko Behrens, Professor and Coordinator of Psychology at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, has published two major peer-reviewed studies that make an important contribution to how researchers understand human attachment and emotional development across cultures. Appearing in the journal Psychoanalytic Inquiry, these studies explore both the strengths and limitations of long-standing attachment research tools and offer rare longitudinal data from a non-Western cultural context.
Together, the papers highlight how attachment science has evolved, where it still faces challenges, and why cultural context matters deeply when studying emotional bonds between caregivers and children.
Revisiting a Cornerstone of Attachment Research
One of Dr. Behrens’s newly published papers focuses on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), one of the most widely used and influential tools in attachment research. The AAI was originally developed by Mary Main, a pioneering figure in attachment theory, and has been central to decades of research examining how adults think about and process their early caregiving experiences.
In her article, “The Adult Attachment Interview: Reflections on the Strength and the Limitations of Mary Main’s Measure,” Dr. Behrens takes a critical but respectful look at the AAI’s scientific legacy. Rather than questioning its importance, she evaluates how well the measure performs as attachment research continues to expand beyond its original Western foundations.
Dr. Behrens draws on decades of scholarship as well as her own direct training under Mary Main, offering a rare insider perspective on how the interview was developed, refined, and applied in research settings. She outlines the AAI’s enduring strengths, particularly its ability to capture adults’ underlying states of mind about attachment, which have been shown to predict children’s attachment patterns with remarkable consistency.
At the same time, the study raises important concerns. One key issue highlighted is how the AAI can encounter cultural and methodological challenges when used outside Western societies. Communication styles, emotional expression, family norms, and storytelling traditions vary widely across cultures, and these differences can influence how individuals respond during the interview. Dr. Behrens emphasizes that without culturally informed approaches, researchers risk misunderstanding or misclassifying attachment patterns in diverse populations.
This reflection is especially timely as attachment research becomes increasingly global. The study calls for thoughtful adaptation rather than one-size-fits-all application, encouraging researchers to respect cultural differences while maintaining scientific rigor.
The First Longitudinal Attachment Study in Japan
Dr. Behrens’s second paper breaks new ground by presenting the first longitudinal study of attachment development in Japan. Titled “The First Longitudinal Study of Attachment in Japan: A Partial Replication of Main et al.’s 1985 Work,” the research follows mother–child pairs from infancy into middle childhood, offering a long-term view of attachment development in a non-Western context.
This study partially replicates influential work conducted by Mary Main and her colleagues in 1985, which demonstrated strong links between caregivers’ attachment states of mind and children’s attachment behaviors. Until now, similar long-term data from Japan had been notably absent from the attachment literature.
The findings reveal that children’s attachment behaviors do change over time, reflecting natural developmental shifts and changing social environments. However, one of the most striking results is that caregivers’ underlying attachment-related states of mind remain a strong and consistent predictor of children’s long-term emotional security.
In other words, while outward behaviors may fluctuate, the internal emotional frameworks held by caregivers play a powerful role in shaping how children experience relationships over the years. This insight reinforces the idea that attachment is not just about early behavior but about deeper psychological patterns that persist across time and culture.
Why Cross-Cultural Attachment Research Matters
Attachment theory was originally developed based largely on research conducted in Western societies, particularly in Europe and North America. As the field has expanded globally, researchers have increasingly questioned whether attachment classifications and measurement tools apply universally.
Japan has often been at the center of these discussions, as cultural norms around emotional expression, dependence, and caregiving differ from Western expectations. Dr. Behrens’s longitudinal study provides empirical evidence that helps clarify these debates, showing both cultural continuity and meaningful variation in how attachment develops.
By combining methodological reflection with original data, Dr. Behrens’s work strengthens the argument that attachment theory remains broadly relevant while also requiring careful cultural sensitivity.
Understanding the Adult Attachment Interview
To fully appreciate the importance of Dr. Behrens’s research, it helps to understand what the Adult Attachment Interview actually measures. The AAI is a semi-structured interview that explores how adults describe their early relationships with caregivers. Rather than focusing solely on what happened in childhood, the interview examines how coherently and reflectively individuals talk about those experiences.
Based on their responses, individuals are classified into attachment-related states of mind such as secure, dismissing, preoccupied, or unresolved. These classifications have been shown to predict parenting behavior and children’s attachment outcomes across generations.
Dr. Behrens’s work underscores why the AAI remains a powerful research tool, while also highlighting the importance of interpreting it within the appropriate cultural framework.
Broader Implications for Psychology and Beyond
The impact of these studies extends well beyond academic theory. A deeper understanding of attachment has implications for clinical psychology, education, social work, and mental health policy. Recognizing how caregivers’ internal emotional states influence children’s long-term well-being can inform parenting interventions, therapeutic approaches, and early childhood programs.
By addressing both the legacy and future of attachment science, Dr. Behrens’s research bridges generations of scholarship. Her work honors foundational psychological research while also pushing the field toward more inclusive and globally informed practices.
As attachment research continues to expand worldwide, studies like these play a crucial role in ensuring that scientific tools evolve alongside the cultures they aim to understand.
Research References
Kazuko Y. Behrens, The Adult Attachment Interview: Reflections on the Strength and the Limitations of Mary Main’s Measure, Psychoanalytic Inquiry (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1080/07351690.2025.2609524
Kazuko Y. Behrens et al., The First Longitudinal Study of Attachment in Japan: A Partial Replication of Main et al.’s 1985 Work, Psychoanalytic Inquiry (2026).
https://doi.org/10.1080/07351690.2025.2609523
