Abstract
The theory of attachment draws on several lines of thought to create an integrated body of knowledge about human emotional development. Attachment theory is particularly concerned with the development of human emotions from a life span perspective (Ainsworth, 1991), hypothesizing that observable behaviour is directed by people's emotions, specifically in relation to important figures within their lives. A recent and essential focus for the development of the theory of attachment is that of its long-term implications. Considerable empirical support has been provided for the premise of the implications of attachment security in childhood for psychological maladies in adolescence. The present article focuses on these long-term implications of childhood attachment and presents both an argument for pursuing family therapy when working with adolescent clients and a model for counselling such families based on an attachment perspective.
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Portions of this work were completed with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, project number 410-91165. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Council.
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Genuis, M.L. Long-term consequences of childhood attachment: Implications for counselling adolescents. Int J Adv Counselling 17, 263–274 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01407742
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01407742