Part 1 Discussion – Whats Love Got to do with It?
Directions:
In this module, we learned about how early attachment experiences are connected to adult romantic relationships. Research is based on the premise that the process that creates the close emotional bond between infants and their caregivers is responsible for the bond that evolves between adults in intimate relationships. If adult relationships are attachment relationships, a few critical implications can be drawn. For instance, if a child had a responsive, loving parent, that child could grow into an adult who seeks closeness, trusts others, and establishes deeply meaningful romantic relationships. On the other hand, if a child has an emotionally unavailable, rejecting parent, that child would have difficulty creating trusting, satisfying relationships with romantic partners. There are four adult attachment styles:
Anxious or Preoccupied
Avoidant or Dismissive
Disorganized or Fearful-Avoidant
Secure
Students will reflect on the research about the relationship between early attachment experiences and adult attachment styles. Students will apply the research to their own life experiences. Students will apply their understanding of adult attachment theory to a therapeutic relationship.
Think about the following three paragraphs. Which paragraph most accurately reflects how you think, feel, and behave in adult romantic relationships?
I am somewhat uncomfortable being close to others; I find it difficult to trust them completely, difficult to allow myself to depend on them. I am nervous when anyone gets too close, and often, others want me to be more intimate than I feel comfortable being (Hazan &Shaver, 1987).
I find it relatively easy to get close to others and am comfortable depending on them and having them depend on me. I don’t worry about being abandoned or about someone getting too close to me (Hazan & Shaver, 1987).
I find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I often worry that my partner doesn’t really love me or won’t want to stay with me. I want to get very close to my partner, and this sometimes scares people away (Hazan & Shaver, 1987).
Respond to the following questions:
What are your thoughts about the relationship between early attachment experiences and adult attachment styles? Do you believe the research is credible (i.e., do you see the connection)?
Consider the above three paragraphs. How would you characterize your adult attachment style? Why?
If you were a therapist and your client had one of the insecure adult attachment styles, what suggestions would you offer to help your client develop a more secure adult attachment style?
When you reply to your peers, comment on the following:
What are your thoughts about their analysis of adult attachment theory?
What are your thoughts about their suggestions for developing a secure adult attachment style?
What question would you ask your peer about their post?
Initial Post: 15 points
2 Reply Posts: 8 points (4 points each)
Spelling/Grammar: 2 points (1 point initial post/1 point reply posts)
Notes for initial posts: Initial posts must be thoughtful and thought-provoking. An initial post must address all parts of the discussion forum prompt. A thoughtful and thought-provoking post will be at least 23 paragraphs in length, including academic and anecdotal evidence.
Note for reply posts: Each reply needs to find common ground (agreement) as well as uncommon ground (disagreement) with your peer. In other words, identify 23 points with which you agree or disagree. Explain why you agree and/or disagree with each point. Doing so will expand your as well as your peers understanding of the issue. In addition, each reply needs to ask your peer one or more questions that expand their understanding of the issue.rrrrrrCl
classmate # 1 Zuhaira
14 hours ago, at 8:57 PM
The link between early attachment experiences and adult attachment styles is an interesting area of study, suggesting a strong connection between caregiver-infant relationships and adult romantic ones. Hazan and Shaver suggest that the emotional bond established among adult romantic partners is, in part, a result of the same motivational system, namely the attachment behavioral system, which gives rise to a similar emotional bond seen between infants and their caregivers. This research is seen as credible and aligns with the idea that caring and responsive parents contribute to positive adult relationship dynamics.
I think that, of the three paragraphs my adult attachment style would be more in line with the second . I find it easy to form close connections, feel comfortable depending on others, and don’t worry much about abandonment or getting too close. This might be influenced by the supportive environment regarding my many family members that raised me during my early years, shaping a secure attachment style.
If I were a therapist and a client shows signs of an insecure adult attachment style like those in the first or third paragraph, interventions I would focus on are building trust, improving communication, and exploring how early experiences could have impacted the client’s current relationships. I think that psychotherapy approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could be used to help clients identify and work through negative thought patterns related to trust and intimacy. Creating a secure therapeutic relationship is crucial, acting as a model for healthy attachment and providing a safe space for clients to develop more secure patterns of connection.
References:
Center, B. a. C. (2023, December 17). How attachment styles Impact relationships: Healing Relational trauma. Bay Area CBT Center. https://bayareacbtcenter.com/attachment-styles-rel…
A brief overview of adult attachment Theory and research | R. Chris Fraley. (2018). http://labs.psychology.illinois.edu/~rcfraley/atta… tttttt
classmate #2 Promise
22 hours ago, at 1:07 PM
I completely agree that there’s credibility in believing a connection between early attachment experiences and adult attachment styles. I will use two of the closest relationships in my personal life as references for this topic. My fiance’s family are not super big on physical touch in the sense of hugging often, cuddling children, etc. The main person who was was his grandmother, but once she passed away when he was younger, that part of life became absent from him. Due to this, he grew up being very distant and isolated when it comes to connecting with others. He’s able to have relations with others but have a hard time being vulnerable to let others in. Since he received that physical, nurturing love at one point in his young childhood, I can tell he yearns for it; however since majority of his life have been without, he has a hard time trusting others to get that close to him. This has reflected a lot in our early relationship since our love languages have been so different making it difficult to navigate what the other needs sometimes when the verbal communication was lacking. Opposite of him, I was born into a family that’s always hugging, Grandma massaging the children’s scalps, siblings/cousins often hold hands randomly, children cuddle with their parents during family movie night, etc, because that’s normal for us as a family that love language is big on physical touch. While this has led me to easily create closeness in others, it also has steered me to sometimes feel insecure in our early relationship that he does not actually like/love me or is attracted to me genuinely as the love I am used to receiving looked different that the love he was comfortable giving out at first.
From the three different adult attachment styles, I would resonate more with third one: “I find that others are reluctant to get as close as I would like. I often worry that my partner doesn’t really love me or won’t want to stay with me. I want to get very close to my partner, and this sometimes scares people away” (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). This is due to the fact that while I can easily make trusting relationships and want to depend on others as the second statement reflects, I feel I connect more with the third. I find that the closest relationships (regular and intimate) I have made outside of my family, have all been with others that were raising in a very opposing lifestyle than me. My fiance, my best friend, my new unrelated family, even some of my paternal family members, all somewhat lack that nurturing, natural love I am used to. This has caused many of them to express to me that early on meeting me, they thought my actions were forced and fake because they were not used to anyone like me, so it took a while for their guards to fall down.
If I were a therapist, I would tell my patients who sometimes get those insecure thoughts like myself when it comes to relationships to pay attention to and directly ask the other person what their love language is so you can know what their love looks like. If you (or the other party) are not sure, learn about it together so the both of you can understand that the love you know how to show someone is not always the love that the other person needs. Understanding this can give a better guide to answering is the people party interested or not. An example of this would be if a woman’s language is words of affirmations, but the man’s is gift giving. There is a chance there will be a disconnect without communication as the man could be buying her any and everything to show he is invested; however none of that matters to the woman if he is not verbally expressing his feelings to her…causing her to overthink and become insecure.
Part 2 Written Assignment – A Lifespan Interview with Sarah
Scenario
Sarah is a 67-year-old client who is coming to your clinic, Meaningful Reflections, for a lifespan interview. Shes interested in understanding her growth and development over the past 65 years by doing an in-depth life review. You will act as the clinical interviewer and assess her reflections.
Instructions
Watch the eight short videos below. Each video is a brief interview with Sarah, a client who is coming to you for a lifespan interview. Use Eriksons psychosocial theory to assess the videos. Each video will represent one of Eriksons eight psychosocial stages. For each video, assess how Sarah resolved the psychosocial crisis at that particular stage. Remember, an individual doesnt fully resolve each stage. The individual may successfully resolve parts of the stage and unsuccessfully resolve other parts of the stage. Resolution is not an either-or (either successful or unsuccessful) resolution but rather a both-and (both successful and unsuccessful) resolution.
For this assignment, thoroughly complete the Lifespan Interview form linked below:
Provide a detailed of how Sarah both successfully and unsuccessfully resolved each of Eriksons psychosocial stages.
Be specific in your explanations (i.e., summarize content from the video, use direct quotes from Sarah, etc.). Each stage should be at least 1-2 paragraphs in length.
Define Kubler-Ross Stage of Grieving (DABDA) and describe how Sarah coped with each stage. Provide two (2) tips per stage to help Sarah cope with the loss of her husband.
Submit the completed Lifespan Interview form to the dropbox.
