Attachment Behaviors in Couples: Therapeutic Considerations for Systemic Therapists From the Revised Adult Attachment...

Since the 1980's, attachment theory has increasingly become a useful conceptual framework for systemic therapy with couples, with a wide variety of models using attachment concepts to conceptualize intervention efforts. Scholars have regularly addressed the idea of how to change generalized attachment strategies to foster more secure relating. Nonetheless, recent scholarly efforts have suggested that it may be more useful to focus on changing the security of couple interactions (i.e., attachment behaviors) rather than trying to change generalized representations. Yet relatively little attention has been given to identifying the specific, attachment-related behaviors that intervention can address within systemic family therapy (SFT). In this paper, we explore Karen Wampler's revised Adult Attachment Behavior Q-Set (AABQ-R), which identifies 80 attachment-related behaviors that typically emerge during couple interaction. More specifically, we conceptualize six broad themes of behaviors-all anchored in attachment theory-that can be of utility as SFTs work with couples: model of self, model of partner/others, signaling behaviors, attunement and responsiveness, general affective strategies, and interactional quality. In this paper, we discuss each theme within the context of research and scholarly work on attachment, explain each class of behaviors within the AABQ-R, and then provide a brief overview of potential therapeutic considerations. Our hope is that this paper will help therapists be more deliberate in their attachment-anchored work with couples.