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The Rise of Meaning in Psychology
from Part I - The Beginnings of Meaning
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 June 2025
Attachment theory offered a solution to a long-term problem in developmental psychology; namely, the lack of evidence for stability in behavior from infancy to later life. What turned out to be essential was to focus on the emotional quality of early relationships. “Security,” or confidence in the availability and responsiveness of caregivers, is what predicted later functioning. Such “trust” becomes the core for building an organized system of meaning. Assessing the history of responsiveness, the quality of the attachment, and later child and adult outcomes, all hinge on attending to the meaning of behavior. None of this works without that. This work leads to a new understanding of how human development is organized.
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