Citation

Pârvan A. Philos. Psychiatr. Psychol. 2017; 24(3): 241-255.

Affiliation

Contact information: Department of Psychology and Communication Sciences, University of Pitesti, Str. Târgu din Vale 1, 110040 Pitesti, Romania; alexandra.parvan@upit.ro.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Johns Hopkins University Press)

DOI

10.1353/ppp.2017.0034

PMID

28936108

PMCID

PMC5604738

Abstract

Attachment research shows that the formation of unconscious, insecure representations of the self, the other, and the self-other relations is linked to perpetration and receipt of violence. Attachment-focused therapy aims to change these internal schemata to more secure, adaptive representations by therapeutic work addressed to senses, emotions, and behavior. The paper proposes a new approach to altering the self and other representations in offenders and victims: it involves intellectual reflection on self, will, action and responsibility informed by Augustine's views, facilitated by actual relational experience, and translated into a distinct self-soothing strategy. The reflective-experiential approach can complement existing methods of working with violent or traumatized individuals both within and outside an attachment theory framework. It consists in: identifying that a non-reflective nondistinction between self and behavior supports damaging self- and other- representations and interactions; proposing ways for clients to comprehend and consciously operate with the distinction between self and action.

Language: en

Keywords

action; emotion regulation; responsibility; the abused; violent offenders; will