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Attachment Theory

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Families with Adolescents

Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development ((ARAD))

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Abstract

Attachment theory offers much substance to scholars interested in the study of families with adolescents. Developed out of a more psychological tradition, this conceptual approach all too often is given little or no mention in texts on family theories. The present chapter covers this perspective’s main focus that is on internal working models (secure, ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized) and are used to describe interactions in dyadic and larger units of analysis within the family. The ways in which these internal working models can be used to describe attachment styles that develop over time are highlighted as well. The theoretical connections between other more mainstream family science concepts are reviewed, and the well-documented empirical approach to understanding families with adolescents from an attachment perspective is discussed in detail.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Stephen M. Gavazzi

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  1. Stephen M. Gavazzi
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Correspondence to Stephen M. Gavazzi .

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Gavazzi, S.M. (2011). Attachment Theory. In: Families with Adolescents. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8246-9_6

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