Six attachment discourses: convergence, divergence and relay

Duschinsky, Robbie, Bakkum, Lianne, Mannes, Julia M. M., Skinner, Guy C. M., Turner, Melody, Mann, Alissa, Coughlan, Barry, Reijman, Sophie, Foster, Sarah and Beckwith, Helen (2021) Six attachment discourses: convergence, divergence and relay. Attachment & Human Development, 23 (4). pp. 355-374. ISSN 1461-6734

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2021.1918448

Abstract

Attachment concepts are used in diverging ways, which has caused confusion in communication among researchers, among practitioners, and between researchers and practitioners, and hinders their potential for collaboration. In this essay we explore how attachment concepts may vary in meaning across six different domains: popular discourses, developmental science, social psychological science, psychiatric diagnosis, psychotherapy, and child welfare practice. We attempt to typify these forms of attachment discourse by highlighting points of convergence, divergence, and relay between the different domains. Our general conclusions are that diversity in the use of attachment concepts across different domains of application has been largely unrecognised, and that recognition of these differences would reduce confusion, help identify sites where infrastructure needs to be developed to support coordination, and strengthen opportunities for collaboration to mutual benefit. We suggest that academic attachment discourse would benefit from clarification of core terminology, including: “attachment”, “internal working model”, “trauma”, and “dysregulation”.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: attachment, child welfare, developmental science, psychotherapy, sociology of science
Subjects: C800 Psychology
L900 Others in Social studies
Department: Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing
Depositing User: John Coen
Date Deposited: 13 May 2021 11:40
Last Modified: 24 Aug 2021 12:30
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/46159

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