Annotated bibliography on attachment based therapy

Benoit, D., Madigan, S., Lecce, S., Shea, B. and Goldberg, S. (2001). A typical Maternal Behavior toward Feeding Disordered Infants Before and After Intervention. Infant Mental Health Journal 22 (12), 611-626.

Atypical behavior and disordered communication during infant-parent interactions as evaluated by Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification (AMBIANCE), has been associated with unsystematic infant attachment. The journal outlines a study, which was conducted to examine the significance of AMBIANCE as an effective tool of eliminating disordered communication and atypical behavior. The study used 28 mothers of infants with feeding problems. The intervention strategies focused on teaching the caregivers to respond more sensitively to the infants while the mothers were taught to adopt new attachment based feeding techniques. The results of the study revealed a significant reduction in AMBIANCE by the play-focused group compared to the feeding-focused group.

Lieberman, A. F., VanHorn, P., & Ippen, C. G. (2005). Towards Evidence-Based Treatment: Child-Parent Psychotherapy with Preschoolers Exposed to Marital Violence. Journal of  the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 44 (18), 1241-1248.

There has been an increase in the awareness on the impacts of adult domestic violence on children. The journal focuses its attention on the impacts of the exposure on a child’s development and the likelihood of a child suffering psychologically. There are various recommendations for treatment of mentally traumatized persons. However, the journal focused on attachment based therapy. The journal reviews the effectiveness of the strategy and finds it to offer unique solution to adults who had a troubled childhood from domestic violence.

Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2001). Attachment Theory and Intergroup Bias: Evidence That Priming the Secure Base Schema Attenuates Negative Reactions to Out-Groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 81(8), 97-115.

The authors analyze five studies, which were conducted to assess how intergroup bias is affected by priming secure base schema. Furthermore, the studies conducted to investigate the dispositional attachment styles, mood interpretation, the role of threat appraisal, and the impacts of secure base priming. The paper establishes that secure vase priming has less negative reactions than positive effects on unbiased control conditions. Furthermore, the effects of secure base priming are not dependent on the attachment style and could not be explained by mood induction. However, they were interceded by threat appraisal and occurred even in cases of threatened cultural worldview and self-esteem. The discussion is focused on the significance of the attachment in comprehending intergroup attitudes.

Prior, V., & Glaser, D. (2006). Understanding Attachment and Attachment Disorders: Theory, Evidence and Practice . London: Jessica Kingsley.

The book is based on multidisciplinary project, which is located at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Research and Training Unit. Various other books have been published under the project named FOCUS. Thus, the book is a compilation of other publications. The book is categorized into five parts, each dealing with the various topics on attachment-based therapy. The authors appraise available knowledge and are sensitive to clinical questions, which can be answered through research. The authors post 14 questions in their exploration of the wide topic of Attachment and attachment disorders. This is an excellent book for any researcher working on attachment-based disorders.

Stern, D. (2004). The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life . New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

The book explores the power, which forms interpersonal relationships. It responds to various questions on the passage of time, the future, and the evolution of humans throughout their lives. It deals with the psychological development from childhood to adulthood and evaluates various factors that affect human beings psychologically. The author evaluates various topics such as the integration of research-based psychology, application of psychology in physiotherapy, and child development. The book is an intervention of the struggle against the negative aspects of Freudian positivism. This is an important book for all psychologists wishing to develop a deeper understanding on human psychological development.