Attachment and Family Therapy

Byng-Hall, J. (1999). Family therapy and couple therapy: Toward greater security. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 625-645). New York: Guilford Press.

Introduction

 Byng Hall reports that Bowlby was “a steadfast supporter of family therapy” (based on Byng-Hall, 1991).

 Family therapists have neglected attachment theory. This may be due to emphases on dyads rather than whole family functioning.

 Main purpose of chapter:  Identify ways that the family either increases or undermines family members sense of security.

 Describe family therapy goals that are consistent with attachment.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Attachment in the Family and Couple System:Conceptual Issues

 Ways of Studying Family Attachment Patterns  Studying relationships in families is complex.

 In a family of three, there are only three dyadic relationships influencing each other.

 In a family of four, there are fifteen dyadic relationships influencing each other.

 In a family of eight, there are three-hundred and seventy eight dyadic relationships influencing each other.

 Family therapy theorists and researchers have suggested that it is important to investigate triads.

 Attachment in Adults: Two Research Approaches  Adult attachment to children: awareness of this literature contributes to greater understanding of parent-child relationship.

 Adult romantic attachment: awareness of this literature facilitates understanding intimate relationship between adults.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Security in the Family: The Concept of a Secure Family Base

  From a family systems perspective, Byng Hall suggests that the family contributes to attachment by providing a secure family base.

Definition of secure base: “a family that provides a reliable and readily available network of attachment relationships, and appropriate caregivers, from which all members of the family are able to feel sufficiently secure to explore their potential” (1999, p. 627).

 Byng-Hall suggests that there are two factors associated with a secure family base.  First, he suggests that there is a shared awareness that attachment relationships are important and care for others is a priority in the family.  Second, he contends that family members should support one another in providing care for each other.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

The Concept of a Secure Family Base (cont.)

 Factors that Undermine a Secure Base in Families  Fear of losing an attachment figure or actual loss of an attachment figure.

 A child clings to one caregiver and rejects relationships with other caregivers. Byng-Hall refers to this as “capturing” an attachment figure.

 Turning to an inappropriate attachment figure (i.e., if one parent is not supporting the other parent, a child may be used as an attachment figure).

 Conflict within relationships, particularly abusive relationships.

 Negative self-fulfilling prophecies: there is an expectation that losses from other generations will be repeated.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Correspondence Between Types of

Child Attachment Style

Attachment

Adult Parenting Attachment Style Adult Romantic Attachment Style (AAI) Couple and Family Relationship Characteristics distress; continued exploration after initial reunion appears indifferent approp. interac.; recognizes sig. of attachment; parent is sensitively responsive to child dismissive about attachment; withdrawn and rejecting parent style Autonomous/ Free Avoidant Resistant or appears distressed, preoccupied with caregiver & “clingy” recognizes sig. of attachment, but preoccupied with past; parent appears angry; parent is intermittently available Ambivalent/ Preoccupied Disorganized/ difficult to categorize reunion experience (80% of maltreated youth) Unresolved/ frightened by memory of past trauma promotes momentary dissassociation; scripts child into “past drama” Flexible distance regulation; adaptable interaction styles; shared initiation for contact.

Distant and withdrawn; disengaged interactions; avoidance of emotional or physical closeness Overly close and intrusive relationships; enmeshed; mutual monitoring; blurred boundaries and role reversal No common interaction strategies, but could include approach avoidance conflict style; disoriented interactions; dissociation.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Links Between Family Therapy Concepts and Attachment Research

 Both approaches emphasize significance of caregiving, communication, joint problem solving, and mutuality in relationships.

 Aspects of the Circumplex model of family functioning seem consistent with attachment theory.

 Family therapy theory descriptions of family organizational style (e.g., enmeshed, disengaged) seem consistent with research findings on attachment.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Systems Theory as a Framework for Thinking about Attachments

 Family interaction cycles influence attachment.

 Circular causality (e.g., feedback loops) in family systems influences mutuality.

 Family rules and organizational structures influence aspects of attachment (e.g., caregiving behavioral system, exploratory behavioral system, and attachment behavioral system).

 Distance Regulation in the Family System  “Too Close – Too Far” Couple and Family Systems  Triangulation of Others as Distance Regulators  Illnesses and Emotional Problems that Become Distance Regulators

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Providing a Secure Therapeutic Base

 This is similar to the idea in object relations family therapy of developing a “safe container” for therapy.  Availability of the therapist: therapists should be regularly available to clients throughout their clinical experience and communicate to them that s/he we will continue to be available to them in the future.

 Roles of the therapist: Byng-Hall suggests that the therapist will serve as an attachment figure to family members.

 Exploring the relationship to the therapist  Therapists become part of the family system during therapy so we should pay attention to our influence.  “Feeling understood is crucial to family members’ establishing secure attachments to the therapist” (Byng-Hall, 1999, p. 636).

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Working with Current Significant Relationships

 Reframing the meaning of attachment strategies: A competence-based approach  Byng-Hall suggests that it may be helpful to normalize difficulties associated with attachment.  “Attachment theory can offer explanations that are clear to both therapist and family, and that make sense out of what may be otherwise perplexing. For instance, a child who is angry, demanding, and controlling is often seen as intentionally bad, but the child can be seen in a different light if described as insecure and trying to make sure he or she is in the parents’ minds when he or she feels unloved and unlovable” (1999, p. 636).

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson

Working with Current Significant Relationships (cont.)

 Creating a more coherent narrative style in the family: in addition to providing reframes, Byng-Hall contends that therapists should attend to signficant relationships by promotimg more coherent narratives for the family. Narrative therapy techniques would be particularly helpful.

 Comparing Past and Present: Understanding Developmental Pathways  “Exploring the connections between stories of what happened in past generations and what is happening now in the session can help the therapist and the family members to elucidate what comes from the past, and the to assess whether or not behaving in old ways I helpful now” (Byng-Hall, 1999, p. 639).  This is similar to Murray Bowen’s recommendation to “embrace” family history in order to promote differentiation.

Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson