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Psychiatric staff as attachment figures: understanding management problems in psychiatric services in the light of attachment theory
- Author:
- ADSHEAD Gwen
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, January 1998, pp.64-69.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Attachment theory argues that psychological development and functioning are affected by our earliest attachments to care-givers. Failed or pathological attachment in childhood may give rise to repetition of maladaptive attachment patterns in adulthood. This article provides an analysis of therapeutic relationships in the light of attachment theory. Concludes that an attachment perspective may be useful for understanding common behavioural disturbances in general psychiatric settings, and supports the use of clinical strategies which focus on containment of arousal and the management of anxiety states.