Attachment experiences transformed into language.
This exploratory study examined the linguistic components of adults' narratives on their attachment experiences, focusing on the process of transformation of the nonverbal experience into language. Securely attached mothers were found to differ significantly from insecurely attached mothers on cognitive ability to connect between experience and language. Results support the notion that language becomes the dynamic tool through which the individual negotiates meaning and transforms the nonverbal organized pattern of relatedness. Applications for therapy and directions for further research are discussed.
Appelman
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Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Hospital, Mass., USA.
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009769:Object Attachment; D010553:Personality Development; D011613:Psychotherapy; D014705:Verbal Behavior