John Bowlby (1907-1990) grew up in an upper middle-class London family. He was one of six children, looked after by nannies, with his mother a somewhat distant figure and his father, a prestigious doctor, posted abroad for much of Bowlby's childhood.
Witnessing both World Wars, Bowlby had many opportunities to observe the devastating effects of loss and separation. In the 1930s he trained as a psychoanalyst and took time out to teach at a residential school for 'maladjusted children'. Aged 21 and with no qualifications, Bowlby had responsibility for ten troubled children. He later said, 'When I was there, I learned everything that I have known. It was the most valuable six months of my life.'
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