Right now, I'm for most part on teaching buy-out. My teaching currently consists of lectures on attachment, psychology's precursors in the history of ideas, and philosophy of science at various courses and programs at the Department.

Research projects

(1) Attachment and religion

Keywords: attachment behavior, internal working models, religiosity, new age, affect regulation.

The attachment and religion research field is devoted to the study of how the individual's religiousness and spirituality are linked to her/his attachment relationships and experiences. From developmental psychology comes the attachment theoretical foundation. Attachment theory consists both of an evolutionary account of why and how children and their parents form strong affectional bonds to each other, as well as descriptions and hypothesized developmental implications of individual differences in child-parent attachment patterns. Some of the religious phenol mena that have been the subject of inquiry concern changes in religiousness over time, New Age orientation, and different pathways (e.g., religious socialization, distress regulation) supposedly leading to religion. These phenomena are empirically studied in relation to the different attachment patterns postulated by the theory of attachment. We have also focused on the need for methodological improvements and have conducted attachment and religion studies using prospective longitudinal and experimental designs, as well as more indirect, implicit measures of both attachment and religiousness. Moreover, we emphasize a life-span perspective on the development of attachment and religion, focusing on links between the two from early childhood until late adulthood. Apart from the researchers listed below, many bachelor and masters students have been involved in these projects over the years.

Funding provided by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation, Alrutz Foundation, The Sasakawa Young Leaders´Fellowship Fund, and the Swedish Research Council.

(2) Psychedelic science and the neuroscience of spirituality/religion

Keywords: sensed presence, temporal lobe, religiosity, new age, mystical experience

The neuroscience of religion and spirituality is an emerging field where spiritual and religious experiences are studied in relation to neurocognitive processes, including different patterns of brain activation. We have performed a large scale experimental replication and extension of a series of experiments performed in Canada by Dr. Michael Persinger and colleagues, who allegedly found spiritual-like experiences (e.g., sensing a presence of someone who is not physically there) to result from temporal lobe activation. In line with their procedure, we applied weak, complex magnetic fields to participants´ temporal lobes to test whether such experimental effects could be reproduced. In contrast to Persinger and co-workers' experiments, we employed a strict double-blind experimental protocol. We also investigated the potential influence of religiousness, new age orientation, and the propensity towards absorbing mental states on these experiences and their interpretations. Our findings (published in Neuroscience Letters) revealed main-effects of personality parameters indicative of susceptibility to suggestion but no effects from magnetic field application. 

We proceeded to investigate effects of the neurohormone Oxytocin on the same parameters. Currently we are planning and exceuting a series of studies on psychedelics in this area.

(3) Adolescent and Adult Attachment 

Keywords: Adult attachment, Adult Attachment Interview, romantic love, emotion regulation

Although attachment theory and research were originally devoted to understanding young children's emotional ties to their primary caregivers, subsequent theory and research have also addressed attachment processes in adolescence and adulthood. This has been done in two different traditions, the first based on linguistic analysis of adults' attachment history narratives primarily regarding attachment to parents (common in developmental psychology), the second based on an analysis of romantic-pair bonds as principal attachment relationships in adulthood (common in social psychology). We have conducted research on adolescent and adult attachment in both traditions.

Funding provided by the Swedish Research Council and the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation.

(4) Attachment in children of mothers with an intellectual disability

Keywords: Attachment, parenting, intellectual disability, risk factors, protective factors

Our aim with this project is to gain knowledge about attachment among children with mothers who have an intellectual disability (ID). As several external risk factors have been found to be overrepresented among mothers with ID, the project also focuses on potential risk- and protective factors for their children's development. Despite the fact that parental ID has gained a lot of attention and has been a source of considerable controversy, no previously published study has examined attachment among children of these parents.

This project is undertaken in collaboration with FUB (Föreningen för utvecklingsstörda barn, ungdomar och vuxna), Stockholm Public Health Care Center, and the child and adult habilitation centres at Uppsala läns landsting.

Funding provided by FAS (Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research).