scholarly journals An exploration of the experience of trainee integrative psychotherapists on therapeutic alliance in the light of their attachment style

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Rizou ◽  
Vaitsa Giannouli

Therapeutic Relationship has been regarded as a profound element of the psychotherapeutic procedure and crucial for the outcome of therapy. Research evidence so far claims that both therapist’s and client’s personality can impact the Therapeutic Relationship. Based on the well-researched Attachment Theory there has been some research mostly focused on how clients’ attachment patterns can affect the Alliance. Limited research, though, on how therapists experience the Relationship in relation with their Attachment Styles do exist. The current study investigates trainee therapists’ experience of the Therapeutic Relationship in the light of their Attachment Style. A qualitative approach was used for this research to investigate in depth the experience of five trainee Integrative psychotherapists who were recruited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and verbatim was divided into superordinate and subordinate themes and analyzed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. Four master themes were identified. Findings were then compared and discussed according to existing literature. All participants referred to the relevance of Attachment Theory in psychotherapy. They also agreed on the activation of their Attachment Styles during the therapeutic process. The securely attached therapist confirms previous studies on her capability to offer a secure base for her clients. On the other hand therapists with insecure Attachment Styles appeared sensitive in their collaboration mostly with insecure clients. Anxiously attached therapists proved to experience difficulty in the initial stages of the Therapeutic Relationship while the combination of avoidant therapist-avoidant client appeared to be the most demanding one, regarding the concept of trust and relationship ruptures. We suggest that the exploration of trainee therapists’ Attachment Styles as well as the study of the Attachment Theory should be added to all Counseling and Psychotherapy curricula regardless the therapeutic orientation because of its contribution to forming positive Therapeutic Relationships.

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki Boniwell ◽  
Leanne Etheridge ◽  
Ruth Bagshaw ◽  
Joanne Sullivan ◽  
Andrew Watt

Purpose – Attachment Theory can be regarded as central to the concept of relational security. There is a paucity of research examining the coherence of this construct for ward-based staff. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Five female nurses from the acute admission and assessment ward of a UK medium secure unit acted as participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and inductive thematic analysis was applied. Findings – Six themes; “staff-service user relationships”, “staff diversities”, “service user backgrounds”, “variability in service users’ presentations”, “service users with personality disorder are problematic” and “nurses do not use attachment” emerged from the data. The nurses used heuristic models of attachment-related behaviour and they lacked knowledge of constructs associated with Attachment Theory. Research limitations/implications – Acute admissions may not be representative of all treatment contexts. Traditional models of attachment style may have only limited relevance in forensic services. Practical implications – Limited knowledge and confidence in the nurses regarding how Attachment Theory might apply to service users is interesting because it may limit the extent to which care, treatment and risk management might be informed by an understanding of service user representations of therapeutic relationships. Training and educational interventions for nurses that enhance understanding of personality development and attachment styles are warranted. Originality/value – The importance of nurses for achieving relational security is emphasised and the adequacy of their training is questioned.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-17
Author(s):  
Natalie L. Myers ◽  
Gilson J. Capilouto

Adherence is a documented problem in collegiate athletics. The patient–clinician relationship is an important component of how one will receive the idea of rehabilitation and adhere to the prescribed treatment protocol. Attachment theory states that an emotional bond between two individuals usually flourishes when one individual looks for support and assurance during a time of need. Attachment theory was initially proposed to describe the parent–child relationship and has implications into adulthood. If clinicians understand and recognize the different attachment styles a given patient might portray, then the relationship between the two may flourish, and consequently lead to greater adherence. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a model for improving treatment adherence by adjusting the patient–clinician relationship based on a patient’s attachment style.


Author(s):  
Ina Grau ◽  
Jörg Doll

Abstract. Employing one correlational and two experimental studies, this paper examines the influence of attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant) on a person’s experience of equity in intimate relationships. While one experimental study employed a priming technique to stimulate the different attachment styles, the other involved vignettes describing fictitious characters with typical attachment styles. As the specific hypotheses about the single equity components have been developed on the basis of the attachment theory, the equity ratio itself and the four equity components (own outcome, own input, partner’s outcome, partner’s input) are analyzed as dependent variables. While partners with a secure attachment style tend to describe their relationship as equitable (i.e., they give and take extensively), partners who feel anxious about their relationship generally see themselves as being in an inequitable, disadvantaged position (i.e., they receive little from their partner). The hypothesis that avoidant partners would feel advantaged as they were less committed was only supported by the correlational study. Against expectations, the results of both experiments indicate that avoidant partners generally see themselves (or see avoidant vignettes) as being treated equitably, but that there is less emotional exchange than is the case with secure partners. Avoidant partners give and take less than secure ones.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mathews ◽  
J. Onwumere ◽  
S. Bissoli ◽  
M. Ruggeri ◽  
E. Kuipers ◽  
...  

Background.Attachment theory proposes that psychological functioning and affect regulations are influenced by the attachment we form with others. Early relationships with parents or caregivers lay the foundations for attachment styles. These styles are proposed to influence how we relate to others during our life can be modified by the relationships and events we experience in our lifespan. A secure attachment style is associated with a capacity to manage distress, comfort with autonomy and the ability to form relationships with others, whereas insecure attachment can lead to dysfunctional relationships, emotional and behaviour avoidance. Attachment theory provides a useful framework to inform our understanding of relationship difficulties in people with psychosis. This paper aims to complement recent systematic reviews by providing an overview of attachment theory, its application to psychosis, including an understanding of measurement issues and the clinical implications offered.Method.A narrative review was completed of the measures of attachment and parental bonding in psychosis. Its clinical implications are also discussed. The paper also explores the link between insecure attachment styles and illness course, social functioning and symptomatology. The following questions are addressed: What are the key attachment measures that have been used within the attachment and psychosis literature? What are the results of studies that have measured attachment or parental bonding in psychosis and what clinical implications can we derive from it? What are some of the key questions for future research from these findings in relation to the onset of psychosis research field?Results.The most commonly used measures of attachment in psychosis research are reviewed. Self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews have mainly been used to examine attachment styles in adult samples and in recent years comprise a measure specifically developed for a psychosis group. The review suggests that insecure attachment styles are common in psychosis samples. Key relationships were observed between insecure, avoidant and anxious attachment styles and psychosis development, expression and long-term outcome.Conclusions.Attachment theory can provide a useful framework to facilitate our understanding of interpersonal difficulties in psychosis that may predate its onset and impact on observed variability in outcomes, including treatment engagement. Greater attention should be given to the assessment of attachment needs and to the development of interventions that seek to compensate for these difficulties. However, further investigations are required on specifying the exact mechanisms by which specific attachment styles impact on the development of psychosis and its course.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097215092110443
Author(s):  
Namrata ◽  
Yadvinder Parmar

The current study aims to address the triadic relationship among the celebrity endorser, consumer and brand. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of moderating role of attachment style dimensions on the relationship between the celebrity endorser traits and brand attachment. This study applies associative network theory and attachment theory to build the theoretical framework of the study. Data were gathered using a sample of 484 respondents. AMOS was used to employ structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses of the study. The results of the study reveal that celebrity expertise and trustworthiness are likely to enhance consumer brand attachment, whereas celebrity attractiveness does not lead to building brand attachment. It also discloses that both the dimensions of attachment style, namely anxiety and avoidance, have a moderating impact on the relationship between celebrity endorser traits and brand attachment. This study provides multiple implications for the marketing practitioners and academicians.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1495-1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Wickham ◽  
K. Sitko ◽  
R. P. Bentall

BackgroundA growing body of research has investigated associations between insecure attachment styles and psychosis. However, despite good theoretical and epidemiological reasons for hypothesising that insecure attachment may be specifically implicated in paranoid delusions, few studies have considered the role it plays in specific symptoms.MethodWe examined the relationship between attachment style, paranoid beliefs and hallucinatory experiences in a sample of 176 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 113 healthy controls. We also investigated the possible role of negative self-esteem in mediating this association.ResultsInsecure attachment predicted paranoia but not hallucinations after co-morbidity between the symptoms was controlled for. Negative self-esteem partially mediated the association between attachment anxiety and clinical paranoia, and fully mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and clinical paranoia.ConclusionsIt may be fruitful to explore attachment representations in psychological treatments for paranoid patients. If future research confirms the importance of disrupted attachment as a risk factor for persecutory delusions, consideration might be given to how to protect vulnerable young people, for example those raised in children's homes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SPE3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noora Rahmani ◽  
Ezgi Ulu

Emotional intelligence, attachment style, and self-esteem are important variables in social interaction that can affect the social relationship. Also having one child is an important issue in which parents are worried about it which is the adolescent's single families have weaknesses in social relationships and interaction? In this study, the researcher tries to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence, attachment style, and self-esteem in single-child and two-children adolescents aged range 13-17 (male and female).


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Hample ◽  
Adam S. Richards

Serial argument theory explains recurring conflict within personal relationships. The theory specifies that an arguer’s goals influence his/her tactics, leading to argument outcomes which include effects on the relationship. We extend this model in two ways. First we suggest that attachment styles predict serial argument goals. Second, we hypothesize that taking conflict personally (TCP) is an outcome of such arguments. University students (N = 682) completed a cross-sectional survey about their attachment styles and felt personalization regarding a serial argument they experienced. A structural equation model tested relationships between attachment styles, goals, tactics, outcomes, and TCP. Results indicated that attachment styles predict goals of serial arguing and serial argument outcomes predict TCP. The study shows that attachment styles have modest but statistically significant effects on goals of serial arguing in close relationships and that the tactics used in serial arguing predict the degree to which people take recurring conflict personally.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-198
Author(s):  
Jennifer Toof ◽  
Justina Wong ◽  
James M. Devlin

This article describes the relationship between trauma in early childhood and attachment style, with the goal that clinicians can more effectively tailor individualized interventions to their clients. Recognizing how and why trauma influences attachment styles will provide the clinician with a more thorough understanding of the client and the client’s family system and will allow the clinician to select the most appropriate treatment interventions. Implications are provided for marriage, relationship, and family counselors. Furthermore, recommendations for future research are provided.


Author(s):  
Chia-Huei Wu

The aim of this chapter is to introduce attachment theory in terms of context-specific attachment styles, and the stability and changeability of attachment style. An attachment relationship exists not only between children and parents, but also in other relationship contexts. Context-specific attachment relationships, such as attachment at work, are more proximal to influence behavior in the specific contexts. This theoretical proposition helps illustrate how relationships in organizations are important to shape employee proactivity. Attachment theory also suggests the changeability of attachment style as individuals’ prototype of attachment style and internal working models of self, others, and the broader social environment can be changed when they encounter different experiences.


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