Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2015 Secure-Base Caregiving and Adult Attachment Development Within the Client-Psychotherapist Relationship Dennis A. Weeks Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons, and the Developmental Psychology Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Dennis Weeks has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Rodney Ford, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Elisabeth Weinbaum, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Tracy Masiello, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2015 Abstract Secure-Base Caregiving and Adult Attachment Development Within the Client-Psychotherapist Relationship by Dennis A. Weeks EdS, Tennessee Technological University, 1996 MA, Pepperdine University, 1979 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy General Psychology Walden University May 2015 Abstract Recent studies have shown significant improvements in the attachment security of adult therapy clients during therapy, supporting Bowlby’s theory that such improvement can be influenced by secure-base caregiving provided by mentors such as therapists. However, because these studies did not measure the secure-base variable, its relationship to client attachment development remains unknown. The present study is the first to evaluate that relationship by measuring clients’ pre and posttherapy attachment security using the Relationship Scales Questionnaire and therapists’ secure-base caregiving using the Client Attachment to Therapist and Working Alliance Inventory, Short Form. Of 21 initially insecure client participants, 17 experienced high levels of secure-base caregiving from their therapists (the SBC-High group) while 4 experienced low levels (the SBC-Low group). Comparison of pre and posttherapy group mean attachment scores, using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, found a statistically significant improvement (a = .01) in attachment security for the SBC-High group with no statistical change in attachment security for the SBC-Low group. These findings suggest that therapists and other mentors can positively influence the attachment development of their insecure mentees. Purposeful incorporation of this knowledge into the design and goals of existing graduate and professional mentoring programs can positively influence regenerative social change by promoting the attachment security of approximately one third of mentees expected to be insecurely attached, based on demographic studies. Improving their attachments can equip them to positively influence the attachments of all their future insecure clients who, like them, might then realize the multiple benefits associated with attachment security. Secure-Base Caregiving and Adult Attachment Development Within the Client-Psychotherapist Relationship by Dennis A. Weeks EdS, Tennessee Technological University, 1996 MA, Pepperdine University, 1979 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy General Psychology Walden University May 2015 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Linda and my children Evan and Leah. Linda, you have been a continual source of encouragement, patience and tolerance. Thank you for understanding and even insisting that I appropriate much of our time and our resources to work on this project. Thank you for selflessly persevering through all those solitary evenings and weekends. This project is a reflection of the many gifts with which I have been blessed by you. Evan and Leah, your love and belief in me as well as your own dedication to the development of whatever abilities God gave you have helped me realize the significance of my role as a caregiver, helped inspire the original focus of this dissertation, and have been ongoing sources of encouragement during my involvement in this research. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge my dissertation chair, Rodney Ford, PhD, whose knowledge and guidance have been invaluable throughout this long journey without which it would have ended long ago. I would also like to thank Jann Cup, PhD of Tennessee Technological University for his invaluable assistance with the finer points of statistical program and methods used to evaluate the results of this study. Table of Contents List of Tables................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ................................................................................ 1 Origins of Attachment Development Theory .............................................................. 1 Adult Attachment Development ................................................................................. 5 Problem Statement ................................................................................................... 10 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................ 11 Hypotheses .............................................................................................................. 12 Relationship of Hypotheses to the Attachment Development Research ............... 13 Scope, Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ................................................ 14 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 16 Significance for Social Change ................................................................................ 17 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................... 21 Introduction and Methodology ................................................................................. 21 Childhood Attachment Theory and Research ........................................................... 22 Bowlby’s Phylogenic Theory ............................................................................. 22 Ainsworth’s Research ........................................................................................ 24 Bowlby and Subsequent Research on Childhood Attachment Development ....... 32 Adult Attachment Existence and Function ............................................................... 42 Caregiving for Infants and Children ................................................................... 42 Attachment and Caregiving in Adult Pair-Bond Relationships............................ 51 i Multiple Adult Attachment Relationships ........................................................... 58 Adaptive Influence of Adult Attachments........................................................... 59 Adult Attachment Development ............................................................................... 61 Evidence of Adult Attachment Development ...................................................... 61 Bowlby’s Theory of Adult Attachment Development in Psychotherapy ............. 69 Attachment-Based Interventions......................................................................... 72 Evidence of Attachment Development Associated With Interventions ................ 76 Evidence of Attachment Development During Psychotherapy ............................ 87 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 98 Chapter 3: Research Method ........................................................................................ 101 Design-Related Issues Addressed by the Present Study .......................................... 101 Research Design .................................................................................................... 104 Measures of Dependent and Independent Variables ............................................... 106 Adult Attachment Security ............................................................................... 106 Secure-Base Caregiving ................................................................................... 110 Study Methods and Proceedures ............................................................................ 119 Data Collection ................................................................................................ 119 Sample Selection and Group Assignment ......................................................... 123 Protection of Participants’ Rights ..................................................................... 125 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 128 Chapter 4: Results.......................................................................................................