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At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The phallic child: its emergence and meaning in a clinical setting.

The nature of the drive toward forming and maintaining intense attachments with other human beings has been examined in the light of case material from the play therapy sessions of a ten-year-old boy. The primary question addressed concerns the relationship of the attachment drive to other drive systems. Freudian theory, object relations theory, and attachment theory present competing paradigms for understanding the relationship between the drives. The Freudian paradigm sees human attachment as derivative from other drives, especially the sexual drive. In developing his attachment theory, Bowlby broke from the classical Freudian view. He postulated attachment as a primary and autonomous drive. Object relations theory, by contrast, sees sexuality as one manifestation of a more fundamental drive that is intrinsically relationship seeking. Each of these traditions has contributed to our understanding of human reality. A careful examination of the clinical material, however, strongly suggests that a drive toward relationship is intrinsic to libidinal energy. It is therefore concluded that the understanding of the relationship between the drives based on object relations theory provides us with the most adequate framework within which to understand the clinical material.

Adoption↗
PubMed1979

Attachment and separation distress in the infant guinea pig.

This study systematically examined separation-induced distress vocalization in the infant guinea pig. Experiment I found that under maximum separation from both social and physical surroundings, the distress vocalization rate remained high for the 1st 4 weeks and then continuously declined to near zero by Week 12. Repeated testings had no effect on habituation of the rate during Week 5. Experiment II, using separation distress vocalization responses to the social (the mother) and the physical (the home pen) environments, showed that when the mother was present the vocalization rate was extremely low, and when she was absent the rate was moderate if the subject was isolated in the home box and high if the subject was in an unfamiliar box. Experiment III confirmed the finding that primary social attachment took place toward the mother. These results corroborate other attachment measures, and indicate the usefulness of the vocalization technique for the study of attachment in the infant guinea pig.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

ADHD, temperament, and parental style as predictors of the child's attachment patterns.

This study investigates the impact of temperament and parenting styles on attachment patterns in children with ADHD. The study included 65 children aged 7-15 and their parents. Children diagnosed as Combined or Predominantly Hyperactive Impulsive Type had significantly higher scores than those diagnosed as Predominantly Inattentive Type in anxious and avoidant attachment, emotionality, and activity dimensions of temperament, and their parents reported higher levels of controlling styles. Hierarchic regressions indicated that parental promotion of autonomy with children with temperamental emotionality predicted anxious attachment, while parental restriction of autonomy with children with high levels of temperamental activity predicted avoidant attachment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Temperament and attachment: one construct or two?

In this chapter we described the constructs of temperament and attachment and have discussed similarities and differences between the two. We addressed the issue of whether temperament contributes to overall attachment security or to the specific type of attachment that children display. We conclude that although temperament may influence the type of secure and insecure attachment relationship children form with their parent, temperament alone will not determine if a child is classified as securely or insecurely attached. We presented evidence suggesting that certain dimensions of temperament, specifically negative emotionality, may be associated with infants' behavior during the Strange Situation, such as proneness-to-distress during separations. However, we noted that these temperament dimensions do not predict overall security of attachment. It is likely that although no single temperament characteristic, such as proneness-to-distress, in and of itself determines overall attachment security, it is possible that a constellation of temperament characteristics may be more strongly related to attachment security. The examination of constellations of temperament characteristics may be particularly useful for furthering our understanding of individual differences within attachment classifications. Such an approach may elucidate the reasons why infants are classified into one subgroup of secure, insecure-avoidant, or insecure-resistant attachment versus another subgroup. Furthermore, we suggest that the collection of findings regarding temperament and attachment not only underscores the importance of a transactional approach to early social-emotional development, but emphasizes that temperament and attachment can make unique and interactive contributions to children's social-emotional functioning. That is, the goodness-of-fit between infant and parent characteristics may best predict security of attachment. Although child characteristics clearly contribute to the development of the parent-child relationship, we believe that the effects of infant temperament on infant-caregiver attachment may well be indirect, and may be moderated by such variables as maternal personality and social support. Thus, taken together, a growing literature clearly indicates that although temperament and attachment security are interrelated, they are by no means interchangeable constructs. To return to our guiding question, "Temperament and attachment: One construct or two?" We reply, "two."

Child↗
PubMed2000

Attachment and culture. Security in the United States and Japan.

Attachment theorists maintain that cultural differences are relatively minor, and they focus on universals. Here the authors highlight evidence of cultural variations and note ways in which attachment theory is laden with Western values and meaning. Comparisons of the United States and Japan highlight the cultural relativity of 3 core hypotheses of attachment theory: that caregiver sensitivity leads to secure attachment, that secure attachment leads to later social competence, and that children who are securely attached use the primary caregiver as a secure base for exploring the external world. Attachment theorists use measures of sensitivity, competence, and secure base that are biased toward Western ways of thinking: The measures emphasize the child's autonomy, individuation, and exploration. In Japan, sensitivity, competence, and secure base are viewed very differently, calling into question the universality of fundamental tenets of attachment theory. The authors call for an indigenous approach to the psychology of attachment.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Adult attachment style and information processing: individual differences in curiosity and cognitive closure.

Five studies examined the association between adult attachment style and information processing. Studies 1-2 focused on information search (curiosity-related beliefs and behaviors). Studies 3-5 focused on the integration of new information within cognitive structures; namely, the level of cognitive closure and its expressions in social judgements. Secure and anxious-ambivalent persons described themselves as more curious and held more positive attitudes toward curiosity than did avoidant persons. Time competition between information search and social interaction increased information search among avoidant persons, but decreased it among anxious-ambivalent persons. Finally, secure persons reported less preference for cognitive closure and were more likely to rely on new information in making social judgements than avoidant and anxious-ambivalent persons. The theoretical implications of the link between attachment and information processing are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Adult attachment style and affect regulation: strategic variations in subjective self-other similarity.

Six studies examined the link between adult attachment style and subjective self-other similarity. In Studies 1-3, data were collected on representations of self-other similarity in the realms of traits and opinions. Studies 4-5 examined the effects of affective inductions on the link between attachment and self-other similarity. Study 6 examined the cognitive maneuvers people differing in attachment style use for changing self-other similarity upon distress arousal. Whereas avoidant persons underestimated self-other similarity and anxious-ambivalent persons overestimated it, secure persons provided more accurate similarity scores. These differences were exacerbated by negative affect and mitigated by positive affect. Insecure persons' distortions resulted from transformations they made in representations of the self and others. Results are discussed in terms of attachment theory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Understanding attachment security in family context.

Attachment theory (J. Bowlby, 1969) is not just about how internalized models of relationships affect interpersonal outcomes; it is primarily a theory about how interpersonal processes affect social and cognitive development. This study tested 3 hypotheses about the interpersonal sources of adult attachment security: (a) attachment security is relationship specific, (b) characteristics of partners affect attachment security, and (c) security of attachment is reciprocated. Measures of attachment security were obtained from 2 parents and 2 children (adolescent or older) in 208 middle-class families. Results of social relations model analysis (D. A. Kenny & L. La Voie, 1984) supported all 3 hypotheses. The author concludes that internal working models of relationships may not be so "internal" after all and that greater emphasis on the interpersonal sources of adult attachment security is warranted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

A safe haven: an attachment theory perspective on support seeking and caregiving in intimate relationships.

This study used an attachment theoretical framework to investigate support-seeking and caregiving processes in intimate relationships. Dating couples (N = 93) were videotaped while one member of the couple (support seeker) disclosed a personal problem to his or her partner (caregiver). Results indicated that when support seekers rated their problem as more stressful, they engaged in more direct support-seeking behavior, which led their partners to respond with more helpful forms of caregiving. Responsive caregiving then led seekers to feel cared for and to experience improved mood. Evidence for individual differences was also obtained: Avoidant attachment predicted ineffective support seeking, and anxious attachment predicted poor caregiving. Finally, couples in better functioning relationships engaged in more supportive interactions, and participants' perceptions of their interaction were biased by relationship quality and attachment style.

Adolescent↗