Attachment and Family Therapy

1
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.

2
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.

3
Attachment in the Family and Couple
SystemConceptual 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.

4
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.

5
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.

6
Correspondence Between Types of Attachment
7
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.

8
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

9
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).

10
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).

11
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 Bowens recommendation
  to embrace family history in order to promote
  differentiation.