Évolution du concept d’attachement : du trait au réseau d’attachements multiples

Abstract

The article presents a new conceptualization of attachment – which is no longer envisaged as a general trait of the person but as relationship-specific behavioral and representational functioning – along several continua (security, deactivation, hyperactivation, and disorganization of the attachment system). The notion of ‘multiple models’ and its link with disorganized attachment are discussed. The author highlights the need to differentiate cases in which there are two contradictory representations of a same event from those in which distinct models exist for different relationships, the latter case – unlike the former – not being pathological. This conceptualization enables a finer examination of attachment processes in both practice and research. The Attachment Multiple Model Interview (AMMI) is presented with examples in clinical and research settings. It is now possible to disentangle the relative contribution of attachment to each figure whether with the mother, the father, another attachment figure (for example among placed children or among the elderly), a therapist, or a romantic partner. In addition to each one's specific role and their additive effects, the interaction effects of these different attachments can also account for counterbalancing mechanisms (resilience) in psychological development. Similarities across relationships (or rigid functioning) as well as variation can also be investigated.