The Handy Psychology Answer Book. Lisa J. Cohen

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СКАЧАТЬ the parent-child interaction patterns do not change dramatically, it is likely that the child’s general approach to attachment will remain stable. On the other hand, if the family environment changes dramatically or if the parent chooses to change his or her way of relating to the child, the child’s attachment status can change.

      How can the three child attachment styles be mapped onto Mary Main’s three adult attachment styles?

      Main developed three attachment classifications to correspond with the three infant classifications. She labeled them D, E, and F to match Ainsworth’s A, B, and C. Dismissing adults (D) were hypothesized to correspond to avoidant babies (A); enmeshed adults (E) to correspond to resistant babies (C); and secure adults (F for Free) to correspond with secure babies (B). The enmeshed classification was later changed to preoccupied.

      What are some examples of adult attachment interviews?

      These (simulated) excerpts below illustrate typical responses for each of the adult attachment classifications on Mary Main’s Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Note how the dismissing adult presents an idealized view of her relationship without any specific memories to back it up. The securely attached adult is much more coherent. She acknowledges contradictions and mixed emotions but can reflect objectively on the relationship. The preoccupied adult, in contrast, is flooded by her attachment-related memories and is unable to integrate emotion and thought into a coherent narrative.

      Dismissing

      Interviewer: Could you tell me five adjectives that describe your childhood relationship with your mother?

      Subject: Oh, I don’t know. I guess she was normal, she was fine. I guess she was loving. She was practical and a good teacher.

      Interviewer: Could you give me an example for each of those words?

      Subject: Well, you know, she was always there. I don’t remember any problems or like anything that was really wrong. She was a good teacher—she always wanted to make sure we got good grades.

      Secure

      Interviewer: Could you tell me five adjectives that describe your childhood relationship with your mother?

      Subject: Hmm, that’s a little complicated. My mother was very warm and very loving but she could also be controlling. So we had a very close relationship but it was also conflictual at times, especially when I was a teenager.

      Interviewer: Could you give me an example for each of those words?

      Subject: I remember a lot of affection. I remember curling up with her on the couch in the evenings, watching TV. But I also remember getting in fights with her, more when I was older, when I wanted to go out with my friends. She would insist that I be home earlier than any of my friends had to. Hmm, maybe she was just being responsible, but at the time I thought she was unreasonable.

      Preoccupied

      Interviewer: Could you tell me five adjectives that describe your childhood relationship with your mother?

      Subject: It was loving, absolutely, so loving. She was wonderful, fabulous. But you know, sometimes she was really selfish, totally insensitive, like only out for herself.

      Interviewer: Could you give me an example for each of those words?

      Subject: It was unbelievable, you know. Whenever she got insecure, her dander got up and she would just never listen to my side of things. I think she had real problems with self-esteem. And all I wanted, all I wanted, was like, “Listen to me, Mom!” But not that I didn’t love her. Of course I did and still do and I know she loves me more than anything in the world. So that’s what makes it fabulous, just fabulous. It would destroy me if anything happened to her.

      How do securely attached adults act?

      Adults who are securely attached value attachment and can speak about attachment relationships with feeling but will also be thoughtful and reflective. They can take some distance from their feelings and be reasonably objective about their experiences. On the AAI, secure adults give a coherent account of their childhood relationships with their parents and their generalized descriptions of the relationship are supported by specific memories. In the same way that a securely attached child balances dependency and exploration, a securely attached adult balances emotion and thought.

      Securely attached adults tend to be more sensitive to their infants’ emotional cues.

      What characterizes dismissing adults?

      A dismissing adult corresponds to an avoidant infant. Attachment is devalued and dismissed by these adults with a concomitant emphasis on thought separated from emotion. An idealized picture of childhood attachment relationships is presented though it is not backed up by supporting memories. The adult may describe his or her mother as “fine, normal, and a good mother” but only provide memories such as “Well, you know, she was always there. She was just a normal mother.” The impression is of a cool, distant relationship with minimal recognition of the child’s emotional need for the parent.

      How do preoccupied adults behave?

      Preoccupied adults correspond to resistant infants. In contrast to dismissing adults who attempt to minimize the effect of attachment, preoccupied adults cannot turn their attention away from attachment; they are preoccupied with it. These adults are flooded with memories of attachment relations but cannot take the distance necessary to create a coherent, objective narrative. They provide contradictory, rapidly alternating views of their attachment relationships (“She was loving, no she was really selfish.”) accompanied by a gush of vivid memories (“I remember on my senior prom. It’s always about her. It was my night but she kept inserting herself. I wanted to wear my blue heels but she said they made my legs look fat.”) In this case, emotion predominates over rational thought.

      What is self-reflective functioning and how does it relate to attachment?

      Peter Fonagy and Mary Target have added to attachment literature with their dual concepts of self-reflective functioning and mentalization. They propose that security of attachment in adulthood involves the capacity for self-reflective functioning, which means the ability to reflect upon one’s emotional experiences in a thoughtful and coherent way. The ability to mentalize emotional experiences involves the capacity to represent one’s own and others’ mental experiences; that is, to understand and grasp the nature of emotional experience. In their view, the child’s security of attachment is not only dependent on the mother’s sensitive behavior but also on her psychological sensitivity. When the mother can keep her child’s subjective experience in mind, she teaches the child that emotions can both be understood and communicated. The child’s development of self-reflective functioning is therefore dependent upon the mother’s mentalization of the child’s experiences. Fonagy and Target have applied these concepts to their work with adults with severe personality disorders, many of whom sorely lack both self-reflective and mentalization abilities.

      Does a parent’s attachment style necessarily translate into a child’s attachment style?

      There СКАЧАТЬ