Table of Contents
Statement
Laura is a 47-year-old woman currently living with her common-law partner of 15 years. Laura has presented a feeling of dissatisfaction with her current life. 8 months prior to her being diagnosed she had several life events that she believed lead up to her depressive state. The life events are: Her trip to the doctor where she was informed about her being in the state of menopause. Even though she never wanted children she still finds it difficult to close of that part of her life.
Since her father has died 5 years, Laura has been involved with her elderly mother which has caused some conflict since her mother is a difficult woman to be with. This caused her to feel anger and guilt which has been building towards negative feelings. She said that she did not have a good balance between work and home which has caused her to be stressed due to her workload increasing due to some of her coworkers leaving; which has caused her to stay late and skip lunches. During her intake she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Intervention Model
Attachment theory holds that many mental health problems derive from failures of caregiving relationships in the early years to optimally meet the child’s need for emotional security, comfort, and protection. This theory could provide the right elements to help Laura in her current stand point. With the help of a professional, it is possible for Laura to explore her internal conflicts as mentioned by Sable, “… it is possible to investigate and re-experience various aspects of one’s life, some of which would be too painful to think about without a reliable and ‘trusted companion’ Bowlby (As cited by Sable, 2004, p. 11.)
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Key Features
Attachment theory as described by Holmes is “… in essence a spatial theory, both literally and metaphorically: when I am close to my loved one I feel good, when I am far away I am anxious, sad or lonely.” The attachment theory was developed by psychologist John Bowlby. Bowlby, as mentioned by Holmes, created an experiment with infant monkey, where they were given the choice between a mother made of wire but can supply milk, and a mother made of a cloth material. The mother made of cloth could not supply food but was mentioned to be soft comforting material.
The mother made of cloth was the choice for all the young monkeys, they preferred comfort and security over the pain the wire mother caused. This experiment developed the theory, that we as humans form strong connections with our caregivers. “Infants and small children need to stay close to their mothers at all times, and to signal separation if they are to remain safe from predation.” (Holmes, 2010) Bowlby theory tends to highlight the effects from early developmental stages, but the effects do extend into adulthood. Holmes mentions that as we transition into the adolescent stage we can tolerate separation for a longer period. This does not conclude that we no longer have any attachment but in fact the underlying problem is that we begin to seek attachment in other forms.
As teenagers “the parental home still remains an important anchor point, and the attachment system will become re- activated at times of threat, illness or fatigue.” (Holmes, 2004, p.66) As they transition into adults they issue then becomes about martial attachment. For adults “… companionship provides a secure base allowing for work and exploration, and a protective shell in times of need.” (Holmes, 2004, p.66) Holmes also mentions that when presented with children the role of attachment shifts to a nurturing state in which there is still attachment involved but it is in the sense of helping the child develop.
Attachment Theory: Problem
Coady & Lehmann (2016) state that there are many mental health concerns behind the attachment theory. Most of these concerns derive from the fact that the child’s emotional needs were not met by the caregiver. They describe it as “Interactions with inconsistent, unreliable, insensitive, or abusive attachment figures interfere with the development of a secure and positive internal representation of self and others, reduce resilience in coping with stressful life events, and predispose a person to break down.” (Coady & Lehmann,2016, p. 159,160)
Two specific mental health problems that are notable are mentioned by Meifen Wei, as adult attachment anxiety and adult attachment avoidance. She describes adult attachment anxiety as “is conceptualized as the fear of interpersonal rejection and abandonment, excessive needs for approval from others, negative view of self, and hyper-activation of affect regulation strategies in which the person over-reacts to negative feelings as a mean to gain others’ comfort and support.” Mikulincer, Shaver, & Pereg (Wei, 2008) Adult attachment avoidance would be described as “is characterized by fear of intimacy, excessive need for self-reliance, reluctance for self-disclosure, negative view of others, and deactivation of affect regulation strategy in which the person tries to avoid negative feelings or withdraw from intimate relationships” (Wei, 2008).
Available and supportive, a person learns that acknowledgment and display of distress elicit supportive responses from others, that (given the proven availability of others to help when necessary) one’s own actions are often able to reduce distress and remove obstacles, and that turning to others when threatened usually results in enhanced coping.
