volume 2, issue 1

www.rjdsp.ro

ADULT ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIPS: INTERVENTION AND

OPTIMISATION FROM THE POSITIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY
STANDPOINT
Alina-Monica Stepan
Romanian Association of Positive Psychotherapy
ABSTRACT
There are relatively few studies investigating the efficacy of psychotherapeutic
methods in Romania. Also, positive psychotherapy is still quite new in Romania, as
compared to other forms of therapy.
The purpose of this study is to identify the attachment patterns from current adult
love relationships and with the aim of linking them to the ones acquired in early childhood.
Also, the paper explores how the positive psychotherapy approach and methods apply to
ameliorating the disfunctional attachment relationships.
The study involved a mix of quantitative and qualitative investigation methods and a
pre-post evaluation of subjects.
Results indicated that there is no clear link between parents gender and the nature
of resources / capacity a child is developing. Also, there is a clear link between perception
of the happiness of marriage of ones parents and ones own couple life. Last but not least,
positive psychotherapy seems to be able to improve the relational / attachment pattern in
disfunctional love relationships.
Keywords: attachment patterns, positive psychotherapy, adult relationship, parental
love, childhood, couple.

1. INTRODUCTION / THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

In the past recent years, the medical community, as well as the state, has
continuously requested a proof that the therapeutical approach actually works, in
order to assess the feasibility of reducing the costs with medical assistance for this
array of problems.
This paper relies on the attachment work of John Bowlby and Mary Main and
on the therapeutic work of Nossrat Peseschkian, founder of the Wiesbaden
Insitute of Positive Psychtherapy.

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Considering its theoretical, as well as the methodological apparatus, this

paper also has as indirect purpose to increase awareness on this form of
psychodynamic therapeutic intervention.
Furthermore, human attachment has always been paramount in peoples life
and relationship satisfaction, being among the main reasons for people visiting
therapists offices, as the pattern of attachement learned in the early childhood
perpetuates across the years into adulthood.
This qualifies attachment, at least a priori, as the fundamental area of
psychological and psychotherapeutical study.
In early childhood, the shaping of an attachment relationship with a
responsible person, although representing the norm in our society, is not
guaranteed. The sensitivity and availability of a mother to the signals and needs of
her child during his/her first year of life are vital. Mothers presenting
inconsistencies in answering the cry of their babies or which intervene regularly in
their wishes (for example, to force receiving attention) generate, in turn, children
that cry a lot more than others, that explore their environment to a lesser extent
(even in the presence of their mothers), take attachment behaviour as obvious
fury expressions and are generally anxious.
An important thesis of the attachment theory (apud Fraley, 2002) states that
the adult attachment is a reflection of his attachment history, starting from very
early relationships. However, the exact manner in which these early
representations can shape the adult attachment patterns is still ambiguous; the
literature generally presents two approaches in this respect: prototype and
revisionism.
In prototype approach, the representations of early life experiences are
preserved in time, as strong influencers of the adult behaviours. On the contrary,
the revisionist perspective states that early representations are subject to changes
based on new experiences, and therefore they can change the original
attachment patterns.
The teoretical context of this study is anchored in three main pillars: adult
psychology, attachment theory and the principles and methods of positive
psychotherapy.
The purpose of the study is hence to identify the source of the attachment
patterns manifested in current adult relationships and their linkage to the early
childhood ones. Also, the paper employs the approach and methods of positive
psychotherapy in improving the relationship misfunctions identified via a
preliminary quantitative stage, with the belief that Actually, human beings
cannot have communication acts that are more important than the ones
expressed emotionally; and no type of information is more vital for the elaboration
and (re)construction of the working models than the one about the way each
person feels in relationshop with another human being. (Bowlby, 2011).

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The current paper is anchored in the researchers trust in the reflexive

function of language, a protective factor which, despite the negative childhood
experiences, has the potential to offer individuals the possibility to convey a
safety feeling for themselves and their children.

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILING OF ADULTHOOD

Freud and Erickson considered that, when a person enters adulthood, he/she
starts taking work and love-related responsibilities. Generally, once the transition
from adolescence into adulthood is being made, one starts taking into
consideration the real contributions the yound adults start making and which the
others are expecting from them in a wide array of situations: friendships, love,
hobbies, in sports, at home and within the community, work etc.
Probably the most important facet of the transition to adulthood is the
shaping of the self identity. Self-formation implies three circumstances:
Identification with and taking on the role diversification for the
adult stage.
Congruence (= lack of contradiction) of these roles.
Continuity in time of the consolidation of roles.
The individual can experience a feeling of well-being and being whole only via
a sum of congruent roles leading to inner satisfaction with his/her own life.
It becomes obvious that the previous identity of child/adolescent has not just
dissapeared from the new adult. It remains active, sometimes unconsciously, and
gets reactivated in certain situations which, if repeated, can determine neurotic
tendencies in the adult.
The more the individual is plenary living his adult years, mainly in the two
important spheres of this period (love and work, lieben und arbeiten Freud), the
clearer the desire to find a partner. Around 20 years of age, once the sexual
preferences have been stabilized (hetero or homosexuality) the direction of the
search also becomes clearer and the direction of the search indicates how much it
is influenced by the same factors that have shaped the adults upbringing and
education, such as:
-

Family model, parental roles and the couple relationship in the family of
origin;
Personal and social identity;

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Education and conception on marriage, couple and partnership;

Own manner of perceving the social pressure and conformism.

In most cases, after their formation, couples are protected by the so-called
psychological skin, a membrane, an interior defensive system parted by the two
partners, which sustains the couple and balances out the energies and tensions
within, managing the common unconscious phantasms about intimacy, isolation
and autonomy.
Adult partnership is expected to offer a refuge for withdrawal, as well as a
secure base for exploration of one ones being, of his partner and the world
around. (Rayner et al., 2012). Education and models from the family of origin are
major determinants at this stage, all the more that they have functioned
subliminally. We reproduce this experience or we repeat it, it will be manifest
during ones entire existance.
An important stage in the life of a couple is parenthood. The two adults
prepare themselves for taking on new roles, emotionally, as well as socially,
relationally, economically (both parents) and physically (the mother). Once
stepping into parenthood, the child preset role gets activated, and also the
strongly internalized memories of the new parents relationship with his own
parents. Some parents (and especially the young mothers) tend to regard their
children either as an extension of themselves, either as a continuation of the
destinies of their predecessors, according to the physical or caracterial
resemblance of their children. The attachment patterns get reactived, as its only
now that the new adults are enacting either the parenting model of their parents
or its opposite. Like a hot potato, the defective parenting pattern can move a
generation further in the absence of a critical and insightful regard upon ones
own life.

2.1. ATTACHMENT THEORY DEFINITION, CONCEPTS, THEORIES, TYPES

The attachment system has a biological base, as it evolved to ensure the
survival of the child. In its essence, the attachment system is a means of searching
for proximity. When a child (or, more generally, a person) feels menaced, the
attachment system is activated and the attachment behaviour steps in.
The situational, as well as age-related continuity of the attachment patterns
created during childhood is generated, primarily, by the persistance of interrelated individual-social mental models in a stable family context (Bowlby, 1973).
The confidence that the attachment figure is not only accessible, but also
available, can activate two variables:
a). If the attachment figure is seen as promptly answering requests for help
and protection.

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b). If the individuals self-assessment concludes that he is helpable by

anyone, and moreover by the attachment figure.
Logically, the two variables mentioned in a) and b) are independent.
Practically however, they can be mistaken for each other. As a result, the model of
the attachment figure and the model of self develop in such a manner that they
become complementary and self-confirming in reciprocation.
The attachment theory, presented by Bowlby in his trilogy (Bowlby, 1973), can
be summarized in three statements:
1. When an individual is trustful that his attachment figure is available
whenever he needs it, this person will be less willing to manifest
intense fear regarding an individual with a lower level of confidence.
2. The trust or, reversly, lack of trust in the attachment figure is
gradually built during the immature years and any expectations
being built during this period tend to persist relatively unchanged
during the entire lifespan.
3. The differing expectation towards the responsiveness and availability
of the attachment figure during the immature ages are relatively
correct reflections of the concrete experiences that the individual has
really had.
There are four names that have definitely shaped the attachment history and
practice: John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, Mary Main i Peter Fonagy.
John Bowlby is acknowledged as the founder of the attachment theory, via his
two fundamental contributions, namely: the recognition of the biological
necessity of a child being attached to his caregiver (1) and the identification of the
individual functioning differences as being directly linked to the internal working
model of the individual about himself and the others (2). If the first of these
contributions refers to the attachment as to an indispensable behavioral system,
the second underlines that the internal working model is formed and
subsequently forged in the interpersonal relationship of the child with his
caregiver. (Wallin, 2010).
Following Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth had an immense contribution in
formalizing Bowlbys theories, by identifying the three attachment types: secure,
avoidant and ambivalent.
These attachment patterns have been identified based on the instrument
built by the specialists of the attachment theory (especially Mary Main), Adult

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Attachment Interview (AAI), a semi-structured interview, as main method for

assessing the attachment mindstate of a person.
The secure attachment, manifested by a collaborative and contingent
communication between mother and child, indicates that the mother represents a
secure base for her offspring; this type of mother manifests sensitivity,
acceptance and emotional availability to her offspring. The secure attachment can
be developed later in life, far into adulthood, through the therapeutic relationship
or the emotional liaison with other significant adult figures. The shaping of the
secure attachment beyond the age of its natural development implies subjects
metacognition capacity, meaning not only having lived the significant events of his
life, but also to be able to freely and honestly discuss about them.
The adults manifesting a secure attachment pattern have the capacity to see
the others with relatively little distorsion. They value relationships, emotions and
attachment / closeness. When they pass the AAI, their discourse is coherent,
collaborative, concise and comprehensible. They value attachment relationships
and seem to be objective regarding certain events or particular relationships in
their life. The description and evaluation of their attachment-related experiences
are consistent, irrespective if these experiences were favorable or unfavorable,
pleasant or unpleasant.
Regarding couple relationships, a secure attachment implies that a person can
easily start close relationship, does not have any issues with reciprocal
dependency and is not afraid of being deserted or that the relationship might be
too close.
Avoidant attachment tends to be generic, in the sense that the experience
of the childhood and the relationship with ones parents are evaluated,
throughout the therapeutic discussions, as very good, but the specific narrative
of concrete individual experiences is rather sad. Sentiments are repressed and the
affective dissonance between these two emotional states is addressable
therapeutically. Adults manifesting avoidant attachment usually tend to minimize
the negative affects counting either on the impossibility to remember or
rationalizing on the inevitably selective attention of their parents. Actually, the
avoidant attachment is formed in the context where parents especially the
mother avoid physical and emotional contact with their offspring, is not
available to the request for interaction from their child. The parents of the
avoidant children have been labeled rejectors, because they manifest the
tendency to minimize the value and the influence of their attachment to their
children. In many situations, parents that end up by raising avoidant children
menace their kids with abandonment, which can be similarly patogenous as real
separations, if not worse. (Bowlby, 2011).

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The adult with an avoidant pattern of attachment has difficulties in regarding

the others without distorsions. As children, they have learned that, in order to
receive an answer to their needs, they should not ask too much from their parents
or their caregivers. These adults avoid all relationships and experiences having a
link with the attachment. Their discourse tends to be general, unspecific. They
often normalize situations from the past, without bringing concrete examples
(I had an excellent, normal mom), with generalized representations of the past,
unsustained or even actively contradicted by the stories they tell.
From the couple relationships perspective, an anxious-avoidant attachment
will exhibit incomfortable feelings in close relationships.
Ambivalent / preoccupied attachment. This type of relationship with ones
mother is, alternatively, positive as well as negative, as a reflection of the unclear
and unpredictable message that the significant person conveys (focus /
attachment figure). The parents of ambivalent children have been labeled
preoccupied because they strongly live past attachment at the present moment,
but not as a resource, but as a continuously disturbant element.
The adult with a preoccupied attachment has difficulties in perceiving the
others without distorsions. During their childhood, they have learned that, in
order to draw the attention of their caregiver (parents) and see their needs
fulfilled, they had to be very insistant. Their discourse is not coherent. Often, the
speaker appears furious, passive or fearful. Also, they have the tendency to
provide unneccesary details and to digress, bringing supplemental and
unneccesary details into the discussion. In some situations, because the main
parent of the patient (the attachment figure) has been neglected by his parents
and has been anxiously raised, will attempt to make a figure of attachment out of
their own child, reversing the child-parent roles. Under these circumstances, the
child (now an adult), will enter therapy for identifying his real role.
From the couple relationship perspective, an ambivalent attachment will
manifest by fear of losing his partner.
The dissorganized attachment has been identified by Mary Main and
subsequently added to the three patterns of behavior previously discovered by
Mary Ainsworth. The disorganized attachment has been difficult to identify,
because it manifests in short sequences (10-30 seconds), thus that the children
with this type of attachment usually are also identified by an alternative pattern
of attachment (secure, avoidant or ambivalent). The parents are, at the same
time, the source of distress (menace) and attachment. While little, the child feels

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threatened by his parents and then, growing up, takes the role of a protector or
controller of their parents, for self-protection. Several studies have shown that
parents of disorganized children have lived traumas or losses that have remained
unsolved and the lack of solving them out has led to the development of a
disorganized attachment in these parents children.
The adult manifesting a disorganized pattern of attachment has difficulties in
seeing the other in an undistorted manner. During childhood, they perceived their
parents, most probably, as very threatening. It is also possible that they have
suffered from bad treatment and can be characterized as having significant
disfunctions in their capacity to form emotionally-significant relationships. During
loss-based or abuse-based discussions, these individuals exhibit a memory gap in
rationalization or discourse. They tend to form volatile relationships.
A visual manner of showing the attachment patterns is presented by Hazan &
Shaver (1987):
Fig. 1.

The studies conducted in the US (Sternberg, 1983) have indicated that the
most likely distribution of the three attachment patterns among the general
population is as follows: 62% secure, 23% avoidant and 15% anxious.
As both Bowlby and Main have indicated, referring to the internal work
models, the attachment strategies that ensured the emotional and social survival
of the individual from childhood until adulthood, even if sometimes disfunctional,
have not only not been easily abandoned but will most probably be used to

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preserve the internal models and the structure of the inner world of the adult
individual.
It is most likely that these models will be perpetuated transgenerationally in
the sense that (if one refers to the positive attachment model, the secure one)
the secure child becomes a secure adult who, as a parent, will raise secure
children. (Wallin, 2010). The metacognitive implies our capacity to take a
distance / to make relative our cognitions about ourselves and about the others
(I am an easy to forget person versus I am a person that often feels easily
forgettable). Similarly, the metacognitive monitoring implies a reflexive and
constantly alert standing towards our cognitions. Although Mary Main has
identified a positive correlation between metacognitions and the secure
attachment, she could not state the primacy of one on the other.
In a similar way to Mary Main, Peter Fonagy has been attracted by the study
of mentalization, of humansreflexive ability (thinking about what one thinks and
feels thoughts, wishes, feelings, beliefs) which render the behaviours intelligible
and full of meaning. Thus, the reflexive function is tightly linked to our capacity of
insight and empathy. (Wallin, 2010). The studies and experiments conducted by
Fonagy on the (not exclusive) basis of the Reflexive Functioning Scale have
indicated that an increased mentalization capacity of the parents, measured
before they become adults, is a good predictor of these parentscapacity to raise
children that will develop secure attachment patterns. Moreover, the secure
attachment is a fundamental condition for the development of the mentalization
capacity and of the reflexive function these children will exhibit later in life. This
discovery has led Fonagy to consider mentalization as a crucial component of
attachment and to grant pshychotherapy the role of repairing the mentalization
capacity of the adult person.

2.2. THE ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIP AND ADULT LIFE. COUPLE AND LOVE.
The three main patterns of attachment influence the working models for the
self and its close relationships. (Hazan, Shaver, 1987). Thus, the secure type
believes in long-lasting love, considering that people deserve to be trusted, and
also believes that they can be liked by the others. This type considers that
mothers are caring and responsible.
The avoidant type doubts about the duration of love and considers that he
does not need a partner in order to be happy. For him, the mother generally is a
cold and distant person.

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The anxious type falls in love quickly and easily, but can hardly find true love,
especially because, for him, the mother represents a mix of positive and negative
feelings. Also, the anxious person doubts himself more that the other two types,
although he does not repress or hide his insecurity feelings.
The three attachment types have different beliefs on the course of romantic
love, the availability and trust of their partners and their own merit for being
loved. These beliefs are part of a cycle (vicious in the case of people with insecure
attachment), in which the experiences influence beliefs about oneself and the
others, and these beliefs in turn influence the behaviours and the results of their
actions.

2.3. POSITIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY BRIEF HISTORY, FOUNDER, PRINCIPLES,

AND TECHNIQUES
Positive Psychotherapy is a humanist, transcultural and pshychodynamic
therapy method. This method centered on conflict and oriented towards human
capacities was developed in Germany by Nossrat Peseschkian, starting 1968.
Positive Psychotherapy represents a specific method, with its own theoretical
background, highlighting new facets of understanding human nature and leading
to specific ways of intervention and treatment.
The method is rooted in the positive image of the human being, in which he is
by nature endowed with goodness and four types of capacities: physical, mental
(psychical), social and spiritual. The illnesses and disorders are, in this context,
interpreted in a new and positive manner, using stories, anecdotes and examples
from other cultures as support in interpretations. The patient is thus encouraged
to play an active part in his own healing process. Positive Psychotherapy considers
that any human being is a whole formed by four parts: body, mind, emotions, and
spirit. The purpose of the therapeutic process is to help the client develop his
inner capacities and find his balance in the day to day life. The patient is also
encouraged to become a therapist for his own family and for his entourage.
Positive Psychotherapy is a multidisciplinary approach; it uses an array of
techniques belonging to other methods as well, to ensure a flexible approach for
the particular situation of each client.
Due to the theory of the two basic capacities (the capacity to love = emotions
and capacity to know = cognitions), Positive Psychotherapy can approach any type
of patient, irrespective of language and social level, as well as cultural
background. Through the positive intepretation of symptoms, Positive
Psychotherapy helps the client find his own basic resources.
Positive Psychotherapy is fundamented, in its endeavour, on the resources of
the patient, considering them as belonging to two categories: primary resources /
capacities, which are shaped and exercised through the relationships with the

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close ones and secondary resources / capacities, which are formed, and moreover
are put in practice in the social and professional relationships.
The two sets of resources include:
Primary capacities: patience, time, contact, trust, hope, tenderness
(sexuality), love (acceptance), belief (meaning).
Secondary capacities: order, cleanliness, punctuality, politeness, honesty
(sincerity), industriousness, seriousness, wariness, obedience, justice,
loyalty.
All positive psychotherapists agree that both sets of personal resources have
equal importance for the individual who, without either one of them, would be
cripple, in the sense that the primary and secondary resources are compared
with the human legs. Undeveloped and unutilized in the same way, the leg that
one uses the most gets tired and the individual walks through life with difficulty.
The strategy of the five steps of the holistic treatment in positive
psychotherapy is a therapeutic strategy mixing psychotherapy and self-help. A
supplementary goal of positive therapists is to achieve an as efficient as possible
conflict-oriented endeavour. The strategy is split in 5 parts or steps, as follows:
observation-distancing,
taking
inventory,
situational
encouragement,
verbalization, expansion of goals.
As a psycho-dynamic approach, positive psychotherapy is equally interested in
present as well as past, through the potential of explaining and contributing to
find a solution for present problems. In this way, starting with the balance model,
positive psychotherapy works with two stances: the present (current conflict)
and the past (basic conflict).

2.4. WIESBADEN INVENTORY MAIN TOOL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY

The capacities / resources, as well as other important dimensions of positive
psychotherapy, are measured via the Wiesbaden Inventory, one of the central
instruments in positive psychotherapy. The inventory has been elaborated by
Nossrat Peseschkian and his team is the positive psychotherapy clinic of
Wiesbaden. The inventory is used as such in all countries hosting positive
psychotherapy centers (25 countries). Its usage is not limited at scoring the results
for individual patients, but the starting point for the situation / case assessment
and therapeutic discussions.

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The study at the center of this paper was conducted focused on a part of of
the aforementioned resources, the ones having a closer relationship with
attachment and love. The values they can have range from 3 (minimum) and 12
(maximum). Conventionally, these values were grouped in three intervals: 3-5, 69, 10-12. The optimum interval is 6-9, which implies a balanced development of
ones capacities. 3-5 (their underdevelopment) and 10-12 (overdevelopment) can
become potential sources of intra- and inter-relational conflict.

3. STUDY OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

The researche per se stems from the theoretical principles described before:
features of adulthood, patterns of attachment and the positive psychotherapy
approach.
3.1. STUDY OBJECTIVES
The research had three main objectives:
1. Identification of current attachment patterns in adult age and their
assessment through the attachment patterns formed in early childhood.
2. Exploration of differences among the identified attachment patterns
based on socio-demographic variables (gender, age, social status).
3. Evaluation of the efficiency of intervention methods on disfunctional
attachment patterns from the perspective of and through the methods of
positive psychotherapy.

3.2. STUDY HYPOTHESIS

In elaborating the research programme and following these three objectives
through, three hypotheses were put to test:
1. The development level of primary capacities has a stronger influence on
ones relationship with ones father, whereas the development level of
primary capacities has a stronger influence on ones relationshop with
ones mother.
2. There is a positive significant correlation between the current clients
couple relationship and his own capacity to love and be tender on clients
perception on the quality of the couple relationship between his parents.

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3. There is a relationship (not statistical, but qualitatively assessed) between

the methods and techniques of positive psychotherapy and the
amelioration of disfunctional patterns of attachment.

3.3. VARIABLES

The study variables were:

Adult attachment (D) independent variable, that can take as main values:
secure, ambivalent, avoidant, disorganized. This variable is considered dependent
towards both dependent variable I1, as well as towards I2.
Attachment of the adult person during childhood (I1) dependent variable,
which can take the same values as variable D.
Intervention programme through positive psychotherapy-based counseling
sessions (I2) independent variable.

3.4. PARTICIPANTS

The study has been conducted using a sample of 83 respondents. In the first
stage, they have completed the Wiesbaden Inventory, which has evaluated
individuals on the model dimensions, primary and secondary current capacities,
the ability for social and emotional relationing and own modalities to face stress.

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Gender (N=83)

M
24 (29%)
Age (N = 83)
20-24
30 (36%)
Marital status (N = 83) Married
45 (54%)
With children (N = 83) Yes
35 (42%)

F
59 (71%)
25-35
47 (57%)
Unmarried
38 (46%)
No
48 (58%)

36+
6 (7%)

12 out of all participants (8 females and 4 males) have agreed to participate in

the second stage of the study, a group counseling programme, which has spanned
over 10 weeks (one session per week), between 02.03.13 i 18.05.2013.

3.5. STUDY DESIGN

The study has been designed to include tree stages:
a). Evaluation (using Wiesbaden Inventory) of the current attachment level, of
the primary and secondary capacities and the model dimensions.
b). Mid-term intervention using positive psychotherapy methods. This stage
aimed at:
b.1. A more profound evaluation of the attachment pattern of each
participant4
b.2. Identifying the relationship between attachment and the behavioral,
emotional and relational patterns from the family of origin.
b.3. Identifying resemblances & differences between the attachment pattern
from early childhood and the adult one.
b.4. Evaluating participants satisfaction towards current attachment
relationships.
The therapeutic intervention was structured along 10 group sessions. Each of
these sessions lasted for 2.5-3 hours, closely following the basic session structure
of positive pshychotherapy mentioned previously (observation-distancing, taking
inventory, situational encouragement, verbalization, expansion of goals).
c). Reevaluation of the attachment level and related indicators: capacity to
love, tenderness, trust etc., by reapplying the Wiesbaden Inventory. The
reevaluation was only carried out among participants in the group sessions.

The evaluation of individual attachment styles has an orientative value only, because it
has not entirely been identified using the Adult Attachment Interview technique.

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3.6. INSTRUMENTS USED

The following qualitative and quantitative instruments were used in the study:
Quantitative:
Wiesbaden Inventory, a descriptive-evaluative tool, central to positive
psyhchotherapy. The inventory is used in all 25 countries where positive
psyhchotherapy method is present. The questiinnaire has 88 lickert-scale
questions (from total agree to total disagree).
The questionnaire was self-completed in 20 minutes per respondent.
Qualitative:
Adult Attachment Interview Protocol, designed by Mary Main, to guide some
of the group sessions (the ones aiming at identifying the attachment patterns).
The AAI includes questions to support identification of potential traumatic early
childhood relationshps of the patients with their parents and other significant
persons.
The 5-steps model (observation-distancing, taking inventory, situational
encouragement, verbalization, expansion of goals), a central tool in positive
psychotherapy, was used for structuring the therapy sessions.
The ten sessions were structured as follows:
Session 1: introduction of researcher and the project, explanation of the tools,
ensurance of confidentiality. Session 2 (observation-distancing): discussions on
Wiesbaden inventory results, choice of the attachment area to work on during the
group sessions,
Session 3 (taking inventory): Participants, two by two, discuss questionnaire
results, and then present them to the group at large. This sharing session proved
to be highly beneficial to the group sessions overall.
Session 4 (situational encouragement): participants were encouraged to find
solutions to currently unresolved issues, based on solutions employed by them for
similar problems in the past (cloning the success). The focal point has been the

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relational patterns, which proved to represent an important proportion of the

problematic situations discussed by the group.
Sessions 5-6 (verbalization): Participants were asked to share significant
relational memories of their lives, going back in time as much as possible.
Periodically, they were asked to refer back to their results of the Wiesbaden
Inventory and explain some of the scores via the recalled memories.
Sessions 7-9 (verbalization): the Adult Attachment Interview protocol was
applied (not entirely), focusing on:
a). Choice of 5 adjectives to reflect the relationship with each parent, during
participants 5-12 years of age.
b). Remembrance of an individual and specific story for each of the 5
adjectives.
c). Investigation of the rejection feeling in eachs early childhood.
d). Exploring perception on the manner in which childhood experiences and
the relationship with ones parents
have shaped the adult personality of
participants.
Session 10 (expansion of goals): orienting participants towards the future,
using the resources uncovered during the group sessions.

4. RESULTS OF THE STUDY

The study revealed that, within the sample analysed (N = 83), the most
balanced out of all secondary capacities were Patience (6-95 score: 81.9%), Time
(6-9 score: 72.3%) and Faith (6-9 score: 53.0%); in the meantime, the most
unbalanced resources were found to be: Trust (10-12 score: 68.7%, higher among
women (76.0%) and parents (81.3%)), Love (10-12 score: 63.9%), and Hope (10-12
score: 61.4%, higher among men (75.0%) and parents (71.9%)).
Only 7 out of the 11 secondary capacities recorded balanced scores, namely:
Obedience (6-9 score: 81.9%), Loyalty (6-9 score: 74.7%), Sparingness (6-9 score:
67.5%); the following capacities were found to be overdeveloped: Seriousness (1012 score: 75.9%, higher among married people: 81.0%), Industriousness (10-12
score: 53.0%), Justice (10-12 score: 54.2%, higher among unmarried respondents
(60.5%) and childless ones (58.3%)).
Results indicate a closer relationship with the mother on total sample (36.1%),
with higher values among men (45.0%) and childless persons (43.8%); also,
married people record a higher proportion of cold scores (3-5) 23.8% among
married persons vs 14.5% in the total sample. At total sample level, there is a
5

The intervals among which the scores can range are: 3-5 (minimum,
underdevelopment), 6-9 (balanced development, optimum level) and 10-12
(overdevelopment).

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higher level of cold scores registered with the father (21.7%), without any
significant differences on demographics. Lastly, the relationship with the father
tends to be more balanced overall.

4.1. PRIMARY & SECONDARY RESOURCES AND PATIENTS RELATIONSHIP

WITH THEIR FATHERS
In Wiesbaden Inventory, the scale for primary capacities includes 11 items
and has a Cronbach-Alpha value of =.71; the scale for secondary capacities
includes 8 items and the CA score was =.60, leading to the conclusion that both
scales have average internal consistency.
To assess the veridicity of the first hypothesis of the study (The development
level of primary capacities has a stronger influence on ones relationship with
ones father, whereas the development level of primary capacities has a stronger
influence on ones relationshop with ones mother), a multiple regression was
performed.
The relationship with ones father was found to be poorly explained (7%) by
the primary capacities (R2 adj = .074). Among primary capacities (= predictors),
only Hope ( = .359, p< 0.05) has a significant influence on one relationship with
ones father among participants in this study.
As for secondary capacities, they do not manage to explain (-3%) clients
relationship with their fathers as well. (R2 adj = -.026). Among secondary
capacities, the one bearing the heaviest load are Justice and Sincerity, but their
influence on the dependent variable (relationship with father) is not significant (p
< 0.05).

4.2. PRIMARY & SECONDARY RESOURCES AND PATIENTS RELATIONSHIP

WITH THEIR MOTHERS
Patients relationships with their mothers are weakly explained (10%) by the
primary capacities (R2 adj = .097). Among primary capacities (= predictors), still
Hope ( = .356, p< 0.05) has a significant influence onto patients relationship with
their mothers.

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On seconday capacities, the relationships with ones mother (-4%) is not

explained by the secondary capacities (R2 adj = -.39). Among capcities with the
highest load one can number Seriousness and Obedience, but their influence on
the dependent variable (relationship with mother) is not significant.

4.3. THE INFLUENCE OF THE BASIC ATTACHMENT MODEL ONTO CURRENT

COUPLE RELATIONSHIP
The model of the basic attachment includes 6 dimensions: relationship with
ones parents (already analysed), close social relationships (friends, extended
family), parents couple relationship, patients couple relationship, his own link to
spiritualuty, fantasy, and the future.
Among these dimensions, the statistical analysis has taken the following
variables into consideration:
Dependent variable: parents couple relationship (variable You).
Independent variables (predictors): patients couple relationship (variable
Us) and Love and tenderness primary capacities. Together, these three variables
explain 26% of the variation of the dependent variables (R2 adj = .256, p< 0.01).
The variation of the dependent variable is explained by the us variable
(51%), followed by the We one clients current couple relationship - ( = .510,
p< 0.01), and then the Love one ( = .187, p 0.05).

5. PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

1. The development level of primary capacities has a stronger influence on

ones relationship with ones father, whereas the development level of
primary capacities has a stronger influence on ones relationshop with
ones mother.
i.
This hypothesis was quantitatively tested, based on Wiesbaden
inventory completion. The results of the four multiple regressions
performed have not pointed out to to any significant relationships
to support its validity.
ii.
Psychological implications: there seems to be no relationship
between the resources offered by each of ones parents during
early childhood and the overall relationship between ythe child
and each of the parents. The invalidation of the hypothesis that
mothers are responsible for emotional abilities (love, time,
patience etc.) and fathers with the more rational ones (order,

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seriousness etc.) in the modern society indicates a mix of roles

and values and distance from the traditional values. How ready
are fathers to exert and transmit empathy or vulnerability is still a
matter of further investigation (see also Brene Brown, 2010).
2. There is a positive significant correlation between the current clients
couple relationship and his own capacity to love and be tender on clients
perception on the quality of the couple relationship between his parents.
i.
Quantitatively tested hypothesis.
ii.
Psychological implications: Several therapeutic systems (e.g.
transactional analysis, psychogenealogy etc.) have been
preoccupied with the way life scenarios and role models are being
transmitted across generations (Berne, 2006). Although
surprising, the direction of influence (from present to the past), it
is possible that the level of development of Love (as a primary
resource) and the degree of satisfaction with the current couple
relationship to be related to the parental mode, but directly
proportional: own couple relationship a good perception upon
parents couple relationship; the same relationship holds true for
a less satisfactory relationship as well. There is still to investigate
the situation when the child (now adult) applies the anti-model
that Berne talks about in his works. The danger lies in remaining
stuck in a rather deterministic state, considering parents as the
only ones responsible for the current couple relationship of their
adult children. Using Bowlbys words, The tendency to treat
others in the same way we ourselves have been treated represents
a profound feature of the human nature; and this is never more
obvious than in the first years of age. Parents, beware! (Bowlby,
2011)
3. There is a relationship (not statistical, but qualitatively assessed) between
the methods and techniques of positive psychotherapy and the
amelioration of disfunctional patterns of attachment.
i.
This hypothesis was only qualitatively and practically tested, via
linking rhe results from the Wiesbaden inventory with the areas
chosen by patients to work on during the group sessions. Thus,
persons that have recorded high (10-12) or low (3-5) scores on
relevant dimensions for this study (relationship with ones mother
/ father, own and parents marital relationship, capacity to love
and be tender etc.) have admitted, during the group discussions,

73

ii.

the existence of several disfunctions in these areas and have

chosen a specific work task for further exploration.
8 out of the 12 group session participants have recorded changes
in some of the scores registered during the first completion of the
Wiesbaden inventory. It is possible that for the remaining 4
persons the 10-session duration has been insufficient versus the
problems they worked on or an individual therapy might have
been more suitable for the amelioration of their issues. Also,
positive psychotherapy, psychodynamic in nature, generally
requires more than 10 sessions to attain its goals. Nonetheless,
the two thirds of the participants having witnessed amelioration
of their scores can represent a clear evidence of the efficacy of
this therapeutic approach, theoretically as well as practically.

Psychological implications: Positive psychotherapy proves, in this way, its

practical utility and the capacity to identify problematic areas. Although a
psychodynamic method, it benefits from its structure, and the ownership of a set
of own instruments for issue identification. Using these as the basis for the
therapeutic intervention, this research has added instruments from other
approaches (psychology of attachment, life scenarios, psychogeneagram etc.). The
functioning of this mix in the context of a relatively low number of group sessions
demonstrates the usefulness of eclectism as well as the need of methods and
structure in the therapeutic endeavour. Also, the role of the group, of sharing, of
the I have the same problem as yours had a decissive role in the change that
have been recorded for some of the scores. Obviously, the change factor remains
ones own desire to change and awareness of the responsibility one has for ones
own life.

6. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The present work has two important merits:
- Application of both quantitative and qualitative research methods to the
field of psychotherapy.
- Contribution with relevant information for the demonstration of the
efficiency of positive psychotherapy, somehow less known in Romania.
Among its limitations, one can number the relatively small size of the group
participants (12 people of the initial 83), which has made the full test-retest quasiimpossible. The theme approached in this paper would require further research
on larger sample sizes and a wider team of therapists. One can also include here

74

the need to assess distribution of the attachment patterns across the Romanian
population, as only US figures are currently available.
In conclusion, this piece of research indicated that, irrespective of the
profoundness and sensitivity of the topic, each person has in herself the potential
to change to the better. This vision is fully represented in Bowlbys constant
preoccupation for identifying of the home feeling of every person: Thsi
permanent potential for change indicates that, in none of our life moments, a
person is invulnerable in the face of difficulty; and, at the same time, indicates
that, in any moment of her life, a person can be receptive to favourable influences.
It is this potential for change that provides the possibility for an efficient therapy.
(Bowlby, 2011).
The field of attachment is as rich and rewarding for a researcher as it is
difficult to investigate via scientific research. The next directions for study can
become reflection themes in themselves, in such a way that they are to be
approached in a less holistic manner than this study has managed to achieve.
Linking the results of this study to its theoretical premises, one can
preliminarily conclude that the transmission of the empatic capacities are not just
the mothers responsibility; both parents have roles identifiable within both sets
of resources (primary and secondary). The immediate implication lies in the loss
of / separation from one of the parents; in this case, the other parent can take
over also on transmitting both emotional and rational values, abilities and
behaviours to the child., without creeping the child.
Regarding family ethics, the study has shown the capital importance of childs
perception onto the parental relationship and the way this perception influences
childs own couple relationship in the adult age. It is possible that parents with
disfunctional relationships that choose not to divorce just for the sake of their
children, actually do no favour to them, but just provide disfunctional relationship
model children have no choice than to model themselves in adulthood.
Two hundred years ago, Schopenhauer wrote about the hedgehogs parable:
in a cold winter day, a group of hedgehogs was sitting one atop the other to
prevent the group from freezing. But in this way they could feel the piches of the
others thorns, which made them stay apart. Then, because of the cold, they
reunited. The group of hedgehogs continued to move this way, from one source
of discomfort to the other, until they found the right distance allowing them to
benefit entirely from the resources of the warm hedgehog community.
Too close it is painful. Too far apart it is cold. And their individual and
mutual well-being is a permanent adjustment to the poles of the huge magnet
their relationship represents. Although Schopenhauer, as well as Freud, have used

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this hedgehog dilemma to explain introversion and isolation, a lot of people talk
about the danger of holding an idillic view on closeness and distancing. How close
it is too close? People struggle for a lifetime to find out what is the right distance
to find the other significant person without losing themselves.
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