Reflective capacity and its significance to the attachment concept of the self

Attachment writing about the self systematically regards the working model of the self as a social product. At the same time, reflective self-capacity is regarded as a particularly salient aspect of the individual's current state of mind with respect to attachment. Additionally, evidence has accumulated that some individuals have been able to create a coherent working model of the self despite a history of negative attachment experiences. This paper proposes that in these circumstances it is necessary to conceive of a private self through which the history of attachment experiences may be creatively transformed.