Attachment theory

Feeling

Contact hypothesis

Political science

Psychology

Realm

Social psychology

Journal of Social Issues

Inspired by reviews written by Kauff, Marinucci, and their colleagues, this commentary considers our basic human needs for safety and security, and how intergroup contact research may be usefully informed by theoretical perspectives on attachment. First, I summarize early psychological perspectives on safety and security and discuss factors that may undermine people's feelings of being safe and secure. I then introduce some basic principles of attachment theory and describe ways in which intergroup contact research may be viewed through an attachment lens. I conclude with a discussion of emerging research linking attachment processes to the realm of intergroup contact, and how theoretical perspectives on attachment may usefully be applied to future contact research.

Crossing to safety: Attachment processes in intergroup contact