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PubMed2006

Maternal secure base scripts, children's attachment security, and mother-child narrative styles.

This paper reports the results of a study examining links between maternal representations of attachment, child attachment security, and mother and child narrative styles assessed in the context of reminiscences about shared experiences. Participants were 90 mother - child dyads. Child attachment security was assessed using the attachment Q-set and maternal attachment representations were measured using a recently designed instrument that assesses the script-like qualities of those representations. Analyses examined dependencies in the mother - child memory talk data and then assessed the overlap between both mother and child reminiscing styles and the attachment variables. Narrative styles of both the mothers and their children were coherent and consistent for each dyad member. Furthermore, maternal narrative style (e.g., specific and elaborative questions, using confirming evaluation comments) was significantly related to child participation in the narrative. Maternal and child attachment variables were positively and significantly correlated, and child security was positively associated with maternal narrative style. Maternal secure base scripts were also found to be significantly related to the number of references to emotions in both mother and child narratives as well as to children's overall participation in the memory talk. The pattern of results suggests that attachment representations serve as one influence on the manner(s) in which mother - child dyads think about and discuss emotion-laden content relevant to the child's personal autobiography. Furthermore, the results are consistent with the notion that the manner in which children organize their thoughts about emotion are (at least potentially) shaped by the narrative styles of their parents.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Scripting attachment: generalized event representations and internal working models.

The secure base script construct is an innovative methodology that provides a reliable, valid, and generative measure of the internal working model of attachment-related events based on theory and research on generalized event representations or scripts. Multiple aspects of theory and research on scripts can provide additional information about the ways in which internal working models may develop along the dimensions of elaboration, complexity, and flexibility.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1997

Attachment and the representation of intimate relationships in adulthood.

Community college students in the United States (151 men, 217 women) described their current or most recent intimate relationship on questionnaires derived from the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (Benjamin & Friedrich, 1991). Attachment organization was assessed by categories (secure, avoidant, or ambivalent) and by dimensions (Attachment Security x Level of Activation). Respondents with avoidant or ambivalent attachment described more hostility in their relationships than secure participants did. Avoidant participants described themselves as less submissive. Respondents with low attachment security and high attachment activation were especially likely to describe more hostile patterns of interaction. Those with greater attachment security also described more interdependence in the relationship. No interaction effects of attachment with amount of experience in close relationships were found.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Automatic activation of attachment-related goals.

When people encounter threats, their attachment systems are activated and they become motivated to seek protection and support through proximity to their attachment figures. Theoretically, therefore, mental representations of attachment figures should be associated with goals related to attaining proximity and safety. The present studies explore this idea by examining the effects of a person's chronic attachment style and exposure to a particular attachment figure's name on the automatic activation of attachment-related goals. Studies 1 and 2 examine effects of exposure to the name of a security-providing attachment figure on willingness to self-disclose and seek support (two behaviors related to gaining proximity). Study 3 examines how exposure to names of different relationship partners (with whom a participant has felt secure, anxious, or avoidant) affects the mental accessibility of attachment-related goal words. Taken together, the studies support the idea that mental representations of attachment figures are associated with attachment-related goals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Finding one's father: the mother's contribution to early father representations.

The attachment of psychic meaning to relationships emerges in pre-oedipal life through the epigenesis of the representational world. The mother-child dyad is traditionally understood as the prototype of all subsequent one-to-one relationships, including to the father. However, developmental research data suggest that a child, even in optimal situations, has relatively little actual contact with the father in the first year of life. It is therefore suggested that father-representations derive from sources outside of the father-child dyad. The way a mother brings her youngster into contact with the father can catalyze or discolor the child's affective attachment to him. Mother can facilitate or retard the "other-directedness" of an infant in her husband's presence. During separation-individuation, the mother may affect father representations through her capacity to transitively vitalize or disenfranchise the father in his absence. Correlations from both clinical psychoanalytic work and infant-toddler observation are offered in support of these hypotheses.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Not Available].

Theoretical issues and research emphasis within the field of attachment theory have shifted from attachment behavior "to the level of representation" (Bretherton, 1985) since the middle of the 80ies. The paper presents an overview on basic assumptions, research methodology and empirical findings in the field of attachment research. Four issues are addressed, which are relevant for psychosomatic research. These concern: (1) The prevalence of insecure attachment representation in psychosomatic disorders; (2) the association between insecure attachment representation and an increased psychophysiological reactivity; (3) the potential link between attachment and affect regulation and (4) the question, whether the classification of attachment representations may increase our understanding of specific aspects of illness behavior in psychosomatic conditions such as somatoform disorders.

Affect regulation↗
PubMed2002

The relative efficacy of two interventions in altering maltreated preschool children's representational models: implications for attachment theory.

A narrative story-stem task was used to evaluate the efficacy of two competing, developmentally informed preventive interventions for maltreated preschoolers and their mothers designed to modify children's internal representations of self and of self in relation to other. One hundred and twenty-two mothers and their preschoolers (87 maltreated and 35 nonmaltreated) served as participants. Maltreating families were randomly assigned to either the preschooler-parent psychotherapy (PPP, n = 23), psychoeducational home visitation (PHV, n = 34), or community standard (CS, n = 30) intervention group at baseline. Thirty-five nonmaltreating (NC) families served as comparisons. Narratives were administered to children at baseline and at the postintervention evaluation. Children in the PPP intervention evidenced more of a decline in maladaptive maternal representations over time than PHV and CS children and displayed a greater decrease in negative self-representations than CS, PHV, and NC children. Also, the mother-child relationship expectations of PPP children became more positive over the course of the intervention, as compared to NC and PHV participants. These results suggest that an attachment-theory informed model of intervention (PPP) is more effective at improving representations of self and of caregivers than is a didactic model of intervention directed at parenting skills. Findings are discussed with respect to their implications for developmental theory, with a specific focus on attachment theory and internal working models of relationships.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed1996

Disruptive behavior disorder and intergenerational attachment patterns: a comparison of clinic-referred and normally functioning preschoolers and their mothers.

This study examined linkages between child disruptive behavior disorder (DBD), quality of mother-child interactions, and mothers' recollections of and attitudes toward their own parents. Twenty-five preschool boys referred to a psychiatric clinic were matched with normally functioning boys. Mothers and sons were videotaped during a separation-reunion sequence, the Adult Attachment Interview was administered to mothers, and mothers completed questionnaires assessing family environment. Mothers of boys with DBD described relationships with their own parents less coherently than comparison mothers did, indicating less secure representations of attachment. Maternal and child attachment classifications were concordant. Log-linear analyses suggested that the influence of maternal representation of attachment on disruptive behavior problems was secondary to the quality of mother-child interaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Measures of mental representation: clinical and theoretical considerations.

The authors explored the strengths and limitations of measures of mental representation from attachment theory and object relations theory. Using a study of adolescent mothers' mental representations while pregnant and their association to later mother-infant attachment (Levine, Tuber, Slade, & Ward, 1991), they compared the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) and the Krohn Object Representation Scale (KORS) (Krohn & Mayman, 1974) in terms of their clinical and theoretical utility. The authors argue that the AAI does not sufficiently explicate less adaptive object-representations, and that attachment research must address a broader clinical population to have a greater heuristic impact on clinical theory and practice. The AAI relies less on clinical inference than the KORS, however, thus providing a more viable mechanism for predicting parent-child relationship patterns. Clinical examples are provided to illustrate the process and content of the two scoring systems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Attachment-related strategies during thought suppression: ironic rebounds and vulnerable self-representations.

The authors conducted 2 studies of attachment-related variations in thought suppression. Participants were asked, or not asked, to suppress thoughts about a relationship breakup and then to perform a Stroop task under high or low cognitive load. The dependent variables were the rebound, of previously suppressed separation-related thoughts (Study 1) and the accessibility of self-traits (Study 2). Under low cognitive load, avoidant individuals did not show any rebound of separation-related thoughts and activated positive self-representations. Under high cognitive load, avoidant participants failed to suppress thoughts of separation and were more likely to activate negative self-representations. Attachment anxiety was associated with high activation of negative self-representations and unremitting separation-related thoughts. The results are discussed in terms of the hidden vulnerabilities of avoidant individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Mothers' mental representations and their relationship to mother-infant attachment.

The association between the constructs of mental representation posited by object relations theory and attachment theory was studied through an assessment of adolescent mothers' mental representations and their infants' security of attachment. Forty-two pregnant adolescents were given the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) to assess their modes of attachment, and the Krohn Object Representation Scale for Dreams (Krohn & Mayman, 1974) to assess object-representations. When the 42 infants were 15 months old, they were videotaped in the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978) with their mothers. Subjects were primarily low-income African-American and Hispanic mothers and infants. As measured by the significant association between classifications on the Adult Attachment Interview and the Krohn scale (p less than .001), the adolescents' attachment and object-representations were highly related. Both attachment and object relations were also significantly related to infant attachment (p less than .001 and p less than .01, respectively). Results suggest that the concepts of mental representation proposed by object relations theory and attachment theory overlap and that mothers' mental representations have heuristic value in predicting mother-infant attachment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Social and emotional attachment in the neural representation of faces.

To dissociate the role of visual familiarity from the role of social and emotional factors in recognizing familiar individuals, we measured neural activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while subjects viewed (1) faces of personally familiar individuals (i.e. friends and family), (2) faces of famous individuals, and (3) faces of strangers. Personally familiar faces evoked a stronger response than did famous familiar faces and unfamiliar faces in areas that have been associated with 'theory of mind', and a weaker response in the amygdala. These response modulations may reflect the spontaneous activation of social knowledge about the personality and attitudes of close friends and relatives and the less guarded attitude one has around these people. These results suggest that familiarity causes changes in neural response that extend beyond a visual memory for a face.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The stability of attachment security from infancy to adolescence and early adulthood: general introduction.

Current attachment theory hypothesizes that attachment security during infancy influences individual differences in adult representations of attachment. We present three long-term longitudinal studies using three different samples relevant to this hypothesis. Each study assesses infant attachment by using the Ainsworth Strange Situation and adult attachment by using the Berkeley Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Attachment security was significantly stable in the first two studies. Discontinuity in all three studies was related to negative life events and circumstances. Comparison of the results across these complementary studies affords a degree of replication and sheds light on alternative interpretations. Various mechanisms underlying the stability and instability of attachment security are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Attachment from infancy to early adulthood in a high-risk sample: continuity, discontinuity, and their correlates.

This study explores the stability of attachment security and representations from infancy to early adulthood in a sample chosen originally for poverty and high risk for poor developmental outcomes. Participants for this study were 57 young adults who are part of an ongoing prospective study of development and adaptation in a high-risk sample. Attachment was assessed during infancy by using the Ainsworth Strange Situation (Ainsworth & Wittig) and at age 19 by using the Berkeley Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main). Possible correlates of continuity and discontinuity in attachment were drawn from assessments of the participants and their mothers over the course of the study. Results provided no evidence for significant continuity between infant and adult attachment in this sample, with many participants transitioning to insecurity. The evidence, however, indicated that there might be lawful discontinuity. Analyses of correlates of continuity and discontinuity in attachment classification from infancy to adulthood indicated that the continuous and discontinuous groups were differentiated on the basis of child maltreatment, maternal depression, and family functioning in early adolescence. These results provide evidence that although attachment has been found to be stable over time in other samples, attachment representations are vulnerable to difficult and chaotic life experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship of the femoral attachment site to the isometric tracking of the anterior cruciate ligament graft.

The large number of reconstructive procedures in the treatment of ACL reflect a lack of consistent clinical success, thus creating the current controversy over the treatment of ACL injuries. The purpose of this study on the relationship of the femoral attachment site to the isometric tracking of the ACL graft was three-fold: 1) to develop a method for evaluating the femoral attachment site for the ideal isometric graft tracking pattern; 2) to develop a reference table comparing femoral attachment sites to graft excursion; and 3) to apply this information to the surgical procedure to allow for stepwise refinement of the attachment site for improved clinical results. To aid in graphic representation, the attachment sites were identified from radiographs by the sclerotic margin of the drill hole in the bone or the bone trough. These attachment sites were transferred to a trace diagram and compiled to form a composite diagram. Three distinct graft tracking patterns were identified. Group I represented the modified "over-the-top" technique with a deep cancellous bone trough and represented the most isometric tracking. Group II represented the modified over-the-top technique with a shallow or no cancellous bone trough and Group III the drill hole technique. Groups II and III were nonisometric. In surgery, palpation of the graft for excursion while performing a range of motion allows for review of isometric graft tracking. Stepwise intraoperative refinement of the femoral attachment site can result in isometric graft tracking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Stability and change of attachment at 14, 24, and 58 months of age: behavior, representation, and life events.

Stability and change of attachment was examined longitudinally in a group of 48 children at 14, 24, and 58 months of age. Whereas attachment classifications showed stability between 14 and 24 months, lack of stability was the case between either 14 or 24 months and 58 months. Mothers of children who did not exhibit stability of attachment reported more negative and less positive life events. No correspondence was found between attachment classification at 14 or 24 months and mental representations at 58 months. However there was agreement between representational and behavioral measures of attachment at 58 months, where mental representations of attachment appeared to mirror and complement behavioral classification of the attachment relationship with the mother. Evidence for continuity of attachment from infancy to childhood internal representations was found only in a subgroup of children who showed stability of secure attachment between infancy and 58 months of age. These children exhibited greater Emotional Openness in the SAT at 4.5 years. Findings are discussed in terms of different positions in attachment theory and research regarding the stability and change of attachment relationships.

Anxiety, Separation↗
PubMed2000

Attachment and borderline personality disorder. A theory and some evidence.

An attachment theory approach to severe personality disorder is described. Evidence is presented that suggests that representations of attachment relationships and attachment behaviors of patients with this diagnosis are commonly disorganized in character. It is argued that the capacity to develop mental representations of mental states in self and other (reflective function) develops in the context of attachment relationships and that disorganization of attachment undermines this process. Such disorganization can be associated with trauma but may also be linked to other biological and psychosocial deficits. Many of the clinical characteristics of patients with borderline personality disorder may be seen as consequences of disordered self-organization and a limited rudimentary capacity to think about behavior in mental state terms. The relevance of this model for the practice of psychotherapy with this group of patients is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[The theory of attachment and contemporary psychoanalysis].

Bowlby considers attachment as a universal bond. It is based on internal models which are often viewed as subject to transmission. Representations of attachment nonetheless must be described together with representations of the object. Intersubjective relationship can be described on a neuro-biological basis but constitution of the Self is also determined by representations and fantasies produced by the mother's mental scripts.

Anxiety, Separation↗