Trans Generational Transmission and its Implications on Attachment and the Functionality of Erotic Partnership
Journal Title: Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy - Year 2014, Vol 17, Issue 4
Abstract
Introduction: This research aims to present, explore and analyze the dynamics and interactions between the psychological processes within the family system and within the erotic partnership. The family functioning levels investigated in this paper concern the structural and functional aspects of the family and especially the impact and their meaning in the context of the individual's life and erotic partnership providing explanatory- interpretative models on the topic from three perspectives: psychogenealogy, psychoanalysis and humanistic psychology. The analyzed individual functioning levels revolve around two psychodynamic concepts: separation anxiety and individuation. The focus on these two concepts can be justified by the fact that they represent two basic processes that occur during the development of each individual’s experiential personality harmonious and unified, achieving a very high level of activation around the age of adolescence, namely the ontological stage of young adult. Objectives: The objectives and assumptions underlying the present research are based on exploratory and investigative approaches, specific to humanist experiential psychotherapy, involving the identification of the original family core-themes, the attachment styles developed and the levels of fear of individuation, but also the level of separation anxiety manifested in erotic partnerships in which the participant was employed at the time of application. Besides the aspects of explorational, there was also performed the inter-linking these concepts in order to capture the dynamic interaction and specific principles. Methods: The research methodology is based on the integration of two scientific research perspectives, quantitative research through questionnaires and qualitative research through the exploration of the participants’ genograms. The questionnaires constructed specifically for this research were validated by calculating Chronbach-Alpha index, post-hoc. Results: The results of the statistical analysis do not support the central hypothesis of the research, so for the tested population there is no statistically significant association between core theme "abandonment (loss) vs . dependence" and ambivalent attachment style (Chi -Square = 2.14 , df = 1 , p> 0.05). Regarding specific assumptions, all three research hypotheses were confirmed: H2 that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between separation anxiety and fear of individuation couple (r = +0.74 , p < 0.01 ); H3, that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between separation anxiety in couples and ambivalent attachment style (r = +0.58 , p < 0.01 ); H4, that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between fear of individuation and avoidant attachment style (r = +0.65 , p < 0.01 ). Conclusions: The psychological and psychotherapeutic implications of the central hypothesis (H1) unconfirmed can be considered the following issues: family factors do neither correlate, nor determine specific training attachment style nor is its characteristics as the attachment system influenced in one direction, as it is a dual relationship, mutual, dependent on psychological and psychophysiological systems of both the mother and the child. Also, the psychological significance of the coefficient of determination is useful in understanding that 55 % of the variation of "separation anxiety" is determined by the variation of "fear of individuation"; that 35 % of the variation of "separation anxiety" is determined by the variation "ambivalent attachment"; that 43 % of the variation of "fear of individuation" is determined by the variation "avoidant attachment".
Authors and Affiliations
Mircea D. Radu
Keywords
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