Reaction Paper

Reaction Paper

Introduction

This paper gives a brief illustration the article “Healing the Attachment Injury of Marital Infidelity using Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy” by Schade and Sandberg. The article revolves around a case in which a specialist deals with infidelity using focused couples therapy. The case has dialogues in which the couple goes through a session of counseling and provides examples on how to deal with infidelity situations.

Discussion

Attachment Theory

Attachment may be defined as an emotional bond that acts as a connection between two people, time and space limitless. This may be regarded as seeking closeness in times of sadness or threat. Attachment theory is the psychological work of John Bowlby when he worked as a psychiatrist in a children clinic and realized the importance of a bond between a child and his mother (Crawley & Grant 2005). He later also studied that when people have developed strong attachments with their partners, mothers, friends etc. they cannot bear the separation from them. Then, attachment with the other person becomes the source of survival.

Infidelity as Attachment Injury

This has been researched that negative events in attachments, especially betrayals and unfaithfulness can cause damages to relationships. Then, the partners might require entering emotional therapies for restoring their trust and intimacy (Crawley & Grant, 2005). During the therapy, the partners have to face real life situations or a flashback for overwhelming the injured. The injury faces compounding when the partners fail to respond to the situations, leading to deepen injury and despair. Attachment injury concept does not revolve around one even only, but consists of significant events occurring regularly (McLeod, 2009). Attachment theory often is called the theory of trauma as it also identifies the concept of isolation. Thus, the concept basically deals with sensitivity when the partners cannot count on their spouses for support. Infidelity ...