Attachment representations in adulthood: Relations with parental behaviors

The paper presents two standardized measurements of attachment. The Strange Situation Procedure is an observational measure of the reaction of 12-18-m onth-old infants to their parent after being exposed to brief separations f rom him/her. Four main types of responses are noted, and have been noted in a range of cultures. The second measure is the Adult Attachment interview which is a semi-structured interview of 18 questions that discusses childho od memories and assesses the current state of mind with regard to attachmen t issues. Four types of characteristic response styles have been noted in a range of cultures, and this measure seems to be related to certain types o f parenting. Studies of the link between the two measures have been complic ated, as the adult measure does not include the capacity to be available fo r the child. A further instrument, the Maternal Empathic Understanding Proc edure, designed to assess parent's ability to see things from the child's p oint of view, is suggested as a possible mediator between parental attachme nt style and parenting behavior. These studies permit standardized evaluati on of parenting skills, facilitate the study of intergenerational transmiss ion of these skills, and suggest the possibility of psychotherapeutic inter ventions that focus on these areas.