E. Hesse, DISCOURSE, MEMORY, AND THE ADULT ATTACHMENT INTERVIEW - A NOTE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE EMERGING CANNOT CLASSIFY CATEGORY, Infant mental health journal, 17(1), 1996, pp. 4-11
This brief report focuses on the emergence of a new Adult Attachment I
nterview (AAI) category, Cannot Classify. The Adult Attachment Intervi
ew classification system is discussed with emphasis upon differences i
n AAI categories as they relate to strategies or lapses in strategy fo
r the integration and focus of attention and memory. The Cannot Classi
fy category is understood to differ from the other AAI categories in t
hat it appears to represent a global breakdown in the organization and
maintenance of a singular strategy for adhering to the discourse task
s of the AAI. Some recent findings and speculations regarding clinical
implications of the Cannot Classify category are provided.