Pros And Cons Of Attachment Theory

Practice Recommendations
Detailed overview of practice recommendations
Addressing the issue of childhood maltreatment and the influences this adversity causes in one’s life, is imperative when understanding how to negate these mitigating factors. Although each component impacts individuals differently, the lasting outcomes on a person’s overall health and wellbeing is definite. Considering insecure attachment relationships attribute to a person’s way of thinking, feeling and behaving, is beneficial when providing insight towards past development of emotional bonds. Recognizing the context and circumstances producing attachment styles is useful when acknowledging their lifelong implications. Since child maltreatment and insecure attachment

behaviors are found to have a direct link, several recommendations for beneficial intervention strategies are noted. Valuing the impact of past experiences and influence of significant life events is a crucial primary factor. Improving one’s quality of life and relationships with others is the ultimate goal. Acknowledging the problem, understanding the rooted issue, and determining prevention factors provides opportunities for prevention and effective response.
One approach is understanding how to prevent and respond to childhood maltreat in order to lessen the occurrence of insecure attachment relationships from forming. This strategy is regarded as, attachment-based intervention, and is used in a variety of clinical settings (Tarabulsy, 2016). Research supports, in order to effectively intervene, understanding the process of attachment development is necessary (Tarabulsy, 2016). Specifically, families at risk for forming insecure attachment bonds need to be identified early (Tarabulsy, 2016). Caregivers are the primary target for being the key change in intervention. In addition, strategies should also focus on building healthy relations during early interactions with infants as the benefits of this time in development are critical (Tarabulsy, 2016). Early intervention increases opportunities for sustaining positive behavior and encourages the best results for success. If potential negative behaviors are not identified, childhood attachment issues can lead to individuals internalizing damaging thinking behaviors and atypical behavioral patterns (Tarabulsy, 2016).
An additional form of intervention is to provide alternative coping strategies and mechanisms for adults experiencing insecure attachments through implementation of psychological therapy. Research supports, an effective strategy for decreasing child maltreatment through perpetration of caregivers, is for parents to discuss thoughts of impulsiveness in order to prevent abusive and neglectful events from occurring (Holman, 2010). Specifically, this strategy is considered to be an ego-strengthening intervention used with potentially abusive caregivers (Holman, 2010). During this process, parents are encouraged to discuss their aggressive tendencies in order to verbalize feelings of frustrations, enhance mindfulness and foster self-reflection (Holman, 2010). This is critical because treatment during infancy and childhood impacts lifelong development. Ultimately, this advances an adult’s ability to make deliberate and controlled decisions during stressful situations. Decreasing the development of insecure attachment relationships by utilizing proactive intervention, supports the reduction of child maltreatment by perpetration of the caregiver.
Strengths and limitations of interventions for practice
Strengths in the identified recommendations for practice consider the individual holistically and acknowledge contributing factors from the start of development to current issues. Effectively changing negative behaviors and sustaining desired behaviors is achieved when a multitude of strategies are applied. Children who are at risk of developing insecure attachment bonds, as well as adults who present maladaptive behavioral patterns, benefit from early identification and being provided tools to stop the cycle of repetition. Limitations of this intervention include a lack of capability to maintain the longevity of support. Since attachment issues are developed from infancy, reversing ingrained cognitions and attitudes is a constant process. Research supports these patterns also occur generationally which increases one’s risk for creating and repeating undesired interactions and reactions in relationships with others. Although, identified strategies are intentional, they are not considered to be brief and require commitment and consistency.
Conclusion
Ethical implications for social work practice
Ethical implications related to attachment theory are inclusive of all demographics of individuals and communities.

Difference in relationship bonds and attachment styles are observable in all races, genders, socioeconomic status’, religions and geographical regions. Identifying attributing behaviors rather than focusing on a specific group of people is beneficial when identifying target populations. Applying attachment theory to explain human behavior, specifically providing awareness to actions committed in adulthood, is relevant across issues within individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and societies. Considering internal and intrapersonal relationships exist in all forms of development, this theory is applicable and diverse in purpose. Theoretical perspectives distinguish concerns with diversity and privilege in relation to the development of attachment styles and learned behaviors in childhood. Therefore, acknowledging children are unable to control the environment and circumstances of their upbringing, an increased risk of problematic occurrences impairs one’s prospect for healthy development and well-being. Conclusively, having the ability to think critically and analytically about why people think, feel and behave in various manners, offers valuable insight into choices made and behavior exhibited in

adulthood.