Gordon Neufeld

Gordon Neufeld (born 1946) is a developmental psychologist from Vancouver, British Columbia.^[1] He is the author of the book Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers (co-authored with Canadian physician Gabor Maté).^[2]

Gordon Neufeld

Early life

During the 1970s, Neufeld completed an undergraduate degree from the University of Winnipeg and graduate degrees from the University of British Columbia.^[3]

Career

Neufeld's most significant contribution to developmental psychology is a theory of attachment that includes six stages in the development of the capacity for relationship, the construct of polarization that explains both shyness and defensive detachment.^[4] The Neufeld approach is based on the attachment theory formulated by John Bowlby.^[5] He taught psychology at the University of British Columbia for 20 years.^[6]

Neufeld is founder of the Neufeld Institute based in Vancouver, which provides education and training for parents and professionals based on Neufeld's theories.^[7]