[Contribution of maternal sensitivity in transgenerational promotion of binding quality]

Attachment research revealed evidence for a relationship between the quality of parental attachment representations as assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview and quality of infant's attachment representations using the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Current research indicates that parental sensitivity is one of the main variables connecting the parent's internal attachment representations with the quality of their infants' attachment. Sensitivity is not only operationalized on the behavioral as well as on the representational level, but is particularly operationalized as perspective-taking behavior and reflection. In order to illustrate this position, individual differences of 3 mothers with different attachment representations in the Adult Attachment Interview and their behavior during the Strange Situation are presented.