Abstract

ABREU, Cristiano Nabuco de. Attchment theory and the cognitive psychoterapy practice. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2005, vol.1, n.2, pp. 43-58. ISSN 1808-5687.

Attachment was first studied when John Bowlby started to research the origins of the psychopathologic development during childhood and in adulthood, and analyzed the correlation between loss and separation during childhood and the emotional disorders potentially developed in adulthood. Similar to that relationship in which children tried to develop a safe basis with their caregivers, the connection established between therapist and client will also foster the manifestation of similar reliability levels and patterns to those found in other contexts. Many studies on clinical improvement suggest that contradictory aspects of attachment between client and therapist lead to positive results in the end of the treatment. This is because, most of the times, such bond turns out to account more for the client's personal change than those presented in their history of life, no matter the etiology involved in the therapeutic process. On the other hand, other investigations indicate that common aspects in the attachment are what lead to good results. Thus, throughout this empirical work, we tried to ascertain which modalities of bond relationship (symmetrical or asymmetrical pairs between clinician and client) offer higher possibilities of treatment success

Keywords : Attachment theory; Psychotherapy; Therapist-client relationship.