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The attachment working models concept: among other things, we build script-like representations of secure base
Harriet S Waters1, Everett Waters
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA. harriet.waters@sunysb.edu
Attachment & Human Development
|August 30, 2006
Summary
Attachment theory
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Attachment Theory
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Mental representations, particularly working models, are crucial in attachment theory.
- The broadness of the working models concept has led to criticisms regarding its specificity.
- Advances in cognitive and developmental psychology offer opportunities to refine attachment concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the specificity of mental representations within attachment theory.
- To explore script-like representations of secure base experiences.
- To define and propose a method for assessing secure base scripts.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of mental representations in attachment.
- Definition of a secure base script.
- Outline of a method for assessing secure base script knowledge.
Main Results:
- Script-like representations offer a more specific approach to understanding attachment mental representations.
- Evidence suggests script-like representations are integral to the working models concept.
- A method for assessing secure base scripts is proposed.
Conclusions:
- Refining mental representations, specifically through script-like structures, enhances attachment theory's coherence.
- Secure base scripts provide a measurable component of attachment working models.
- This approach aligns with modern cognitive and developmental psychology advancements.
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