Psychotherapy Through an Attachment-Informed Lens: How to Work with Individuals to Move Towards Secure Attachment
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Authors
Ketch, Kyla
Issue Date
2023-06-14
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
attachment , adult attachment , attachment transmission , attachment stability , attachment fluctuation , attachment prevalence , secure attachment , attachment resiliency
Alternative Title
Abstract
Attachment theory proposes that human patterns of attachment develop as a result of caregiver attentiveness during childhood. Depending on the quality of parental care during the formative years, a child may develop a secure or insecure attachment style, which subsequently informs and influences relationships, both interpersonal and to the self. The impacts of an insecure attachment style can have long-term and even intergenerational negative effects on relational and general well-being and can be predictive of addiction, depression, externalizing problems, psychological dysregulation, chronic pain, neuroticism, and suicidal thoughts. This capstone evaluates existing literature to determine to what extent psychotherapy may be utilized to help adult clients move towards more secure attachment. This capstone concludes that attachment style can be altered consciously and subconsciously throughout the lifespan and that secure attachment can be increased through therapy using approaches that lend themselves to self reflection, self-compassion, and secure attachment priming techniques.
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Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess