All in the Family: Integrating Attachment and Family Systems Theories

This article brings together ideas from attachment and systemic family therapy. There is both growing interest among systemic practitioners in the conceptual and empirical base of attachment theory and also the need for attachment theory to expand dyadic patterning to include its context in family f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical child psychology and psychiatry 2009-07, Vol.14 (3), p.389-409
Main Authors: Crittenden, Patricia McKinsey, Dallos, Rudi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Attachment theory
Attribution
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child, Preschool
Discrepancies
Education
Family Conflict - psychology
Family functioning
Family psychotherapy. Systemic therapy
Family relations
Family Therapy
Female
Functional explanations
Humans
Infant
Male
Medical sciences
Models, Psychological
Object Attachment
Personality Assessment
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Systemic family therapy
Systems Theory
Treatments
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Summary:This article brings together ideas from attachment and systemic family therapy. There is both growing interest among systemic practitioners in the conceptual and empirical base of attachment theory and also the need for attachment theory to expand dyadic patterning to include its context in family functioning. We propose the Dynamic-Maturational Model (DMM) as being the most compatible and useful variant of attachment theory. With its emphasis on the functional nature of behavior, a dynamic view of development and change, and a focus on multiple attachments and representational systems, the DMM fits systemic concepts well. We propose that many apparent discrepancies between the theories will disappear if careful distinctions are made between observed behavior, functional explanations, and attributions. We conclude with theory-based recommendations for selecting treatment strategies. Several case examples that are theory based, counterintuitive, and tied to disorders that are difficult to treat are offered to give substance to our ideas.
ISSN:1359-1045
1461-7021
DOI:10.1177/1359104509104048