adult attachment interview paper 1
Adult Attachment Interview Paper
This assignment focuses on how primary caregivers, usually parents but sometimes others, represent their relationship with and understanding of their child during an interview or conversation with you. The interview itself should take about 30 minutes, plus a few minutes for introductions and terminating the interview, so allow for 45 minutes total. Record the interview and listen to it carefully afterwards. Do not interview a person experiencing major life stressors such as domestic violence, recent or planned divorce/separation, severe illness in self or child, homelessness, etc. Please talk to me if you have questions about a particular situation your interviewee may be experiencing prior to arranging an interview. You may interview anyone other than a spouse or a partner, but please try to find a non-family member for a richer experience before asking family members. All papers should be in APA format and be 5 pages excluding title and reference page. Incorporate readings from the textbook to ensure understanding of the topic.
Textbook :
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Here are the questions you can ask the primary caregiver of a particular child. Not all questions are required, and your questions are not limited to the following:
- Tell me about what you first noticed about _________ when she/he was born or in the first few weeks. (Or, if the child is adopted or a foster child, “when you first met.â€)
- What kind of child is ____________? Or what do you notice about his/her personality?
- Follow up, if necessary, with “what are his/her strengths and/or challenges?â€
- How would you characterize your relationship with _________? Has this changed over time?
- What kind of adult do you hope _______________ will become?
- Do you notice anything about your childhood or upbringing that affects your parenting?
- Can you provide me with two adjectives that describe your mother when you were little and give me an example of why you chose these words?
- Can you provide me with two adjectives that describe your father when you were little and give me an example of why you chose these words?
- Did this conversation stimulate other thoughts that you might want to add before we finish?
The analysis of the interview, after you have listened to it carefully two or three times, should include the following:
- What themes are present in your interviewee’s view of his/her child? Support your analysis with short non-identifying quotes from the interview.
- Do you see any connection between attachment theory and the comments the interviewee made during the interview? Why or why not? Give examples to support your thoughts (cite your textbook!).
- Include other non-attachment comments as needed. Be sure to include a short introduction, including the general setting and non-identifying information about the person you interviewed.
Destroy or erase the audio of the interview when you finish your paper unless the interviewee requests it. Use pseudonyms (the interviewee chooses names) in your paper.
Note: For a person who is in the last trimester of pregnancy, you will need to modify the above questions. Question 1 would focus on fetal movements, reactions to sounds, maternal stress, etc. Questions 2 & 3 should be eliminated. Question 4 would focus on maternal joys and challenges right now. Question 5: “What, if anything, do you notice about your developing relationship with your baby?†Questions 6-7 remain the same.