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INSECURE ATTACHMENTS AND THEIR INTERMINGLING TRANSFERENCES

Doris K Silverman1

  • 1, 315 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10025, USA. dksilverman1@gmail.com.

American Journal of Psychoanalysis
|May 7, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Human infants possess two core motivational systems: attachment and psychodynamic. These systems form the basis of transference, influencing emotional regulation and early fantasy development, impacting adult mental health.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Human infants possess two primary motivational systems: attachment and psychodynamic.
  • Both systems emerge in infancy and are foundational to transference.
  • The attachment system's affect-regulating function is crucial for emotional development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the interplay between attachment and psychodynamic systems in transference.
  • To examine the role of affect regulation in early attachment experiences.
  • To present a clinical case illustrating the intersection of these transference fantasies.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical integration of attachment theory and psychodynamic principles.
  • Clinical case study focusing on enactments, transference, and countertransference.
  • Analysis of how early maladaptive interactions shape transference fantasies.

Main Results:

  • Insecure or disorganized attachments arise from aberrant affect regulation in infant-caregiver interactions.
  • Rudimentary transference fantasies develop as children interpret these maladaptive interactions.
  • Complex, personally organized fantasies integrate elements from both motivational systems.

Conclusions:

  • Transference is rooted in both attachment and psychodynamic motivational systems.
  • Early attachment experiences and affect regulation significantly shape transference.
  • Understanding the intersection of these systems offers insight into clinical presentations of transference and countertransference.

Keywords:
affect-regulationattachment transferencesdysregulationfantasyinsecure attachmentpsychodynamic transferences

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