Attachment: Diversity and diversification, a model of human ethology
Type de matériel :
87
Even though attachment between a baby and its mother may somewhat resemble a post-partum extension of the umbilical cord, it is not a static bond. Provided there is no disruption of the process, attachment sets in well during the neonatal period, creating a vital and almost exclusive mother-child bond, which, among other things, is anchored in a clearly identified hormonal biological substrate. Nevertheless, such an exclusive process does not last long, and the child’s adequate development and its mother’s well-being both require that this bond becomes diversified and then shared with other persons within a social group, composed initially of the nuclear or extended family. This is what we call attachment diversification. But the manner and the tempo of this diversification process differ according to cultures and family organizations, each form of expression having the ability to meet the need for attachment when its functioning is not impaired. This is what we call the diversity of attachment. Based on clinical vignettes describing “failure” in the attachment process or its diversification, we show how important it is for therapists to acknowledge the diversity of existing models of family organization and related modalities of attachment, and to take this diversity into account when attempting to repair an attachment bond that has been disrupted, or even to create a new one when it has not been sustained.
Réseaux sociaux