Sexuality and attachment from a clinical point of view

Attachment & Human Development
Bernice LaschingerRachel Wingfield

Abstract

The clinical experience of five attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapists is pooled in an exploration of how issues in relation to sexuality and attachment emerge in the consulting room. Our clinical experience shows that sexuality, far from being a powerful instinctual drive that invariably needs to be explored clinically, is far more a reflection of early attachment histories. Instead of the standard pressure cooker of sexuality, which if not expressed leads to pathological emotional conflict we identify a melancholy sexuality, a cold arctic-like desert unwarmed by human relationship that barely achieves expression. We find that a broader and more fluid conception of sexuality as not just genitally focused but as erotic helps us relate to difficulties around sexuality as having to do with conflicts in relation to or associated with desire for contact and connection linked to past histories of loss, abandonment and sexual abuse. We argue theoretically that the psychological dimension of the biological system of human reproductive capacities, that is to say, the actually lived experience of human sexuality cannot be separated from the psychological dynamics of attachment within a social and cultural context. We discuss c...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1991·Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association·O F Kernberg
Mar 1, 1989·The Japanese Journal of Psychiatry and Neurology·J Iida
Feb 1, 1970·The American Psychologist·H F Harlow, S J Suomi
Mar 17, 2001·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·T R Insel, L J Young
Apr 20, 2001·The Psychoanalytic Quarterly·D K Silverman
Nov 16, 2001·Attachment & Human Development·A N Schore
Mar 14, 2003·Nature·Sam Hanash
Jun 9, 1955·The British Journal of Medical Psychology·W R FAIRBAIRN
Oct 11, 2003·Science·Jaak Panksepp

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Aug 10, 2010·Nursing Forum·Joseph De Santis, Elias P Vasquez

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.