ATTACHMENT INJURIES IN COUPLE RELATIONSHIPS: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON IMPASSES IN COUPLES THERAPY
Abstract
This article identifies and operationalizes the newly defined construct of attachment injury. An attachment injury occurs when one partner violates the expectation that the other will offer comfort and caring in times of danger or distress. This incident becomes therapy. An attachment injury is characterized by an abandonment or by a betrayal of trust during a critical moment of need. The injurious incident defines the relationship as insecure and maintains relationship distress because it is continually used as a standard for the dependability of the offending partner. The concept of an attachment injury is defined here in the context of emotionally focused therapy, an empirically validated, short‐term approach to modifying distress in couples. The broad theoretical underpinnings of this concept may be found in attachment theory as applied to adult romantic relationships. Through the delineation of attachment injury events and the ongoing development of a detailed model of resolution, couples therapists will be better able to identify, describe, and effectively treat such injuries and address the therapeutic impasses that are associated with them.
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The harsh emotional pain experienced by victims of infidelity is comparable to the same attachment injuries as an infant separated from their mother.
“Johnson et al., compares the harsh emotional pain experienced by victims of infidelity to the same attachment injuries as an infant separated from their mother [28].”
From Love and Infidelity: Causes and Consequences (2023) · cites this paper as [28]
Attachment injury from infidelity could impose psychological and emotional dysregulation, which may emulate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and AD.
“This type of attachment injury could impose psychological and emotional dysregulation for those facing these circumstances, which may emulate symptoms of conditions such as depression, anxiety and AD [28,30,38,41,51,53].”
From Love and Infidelity: Causes and Consequences (2023) · cites this paper as [28]
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“The EFT perspective on close relationships is grounded in attachment theory, arguably now the most cogent theory of romantic love (Cassidy & Shaver, 1999; Hazan & Shaver, 1987).”
BackgroundMethodPredicting marital happiness and stability from newlywed interactions
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Makinen, J. A., & Johnson, S. M. (2006) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.74.6.1055 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Self-citationZitzman, S. T., & Butler, M. H. (2009) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity · doi:10.1080/10720160903202679 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
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Rokach, A., & Chan, S. H. (2023) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20053904 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
“This type of attachment injury could impose psychological and emotional dysregulation for those facing these circumstances, which may emulate symptoms of conditions such as depression, anxiety and AD [28,30,38,41,51,53].”
BackgroundThe aftershocks of infidelity: a review of infidelity-based attachment trauma
Warach, B., & Josephs, L. (2021) · Sexual and Relationship Therapy · doi:10.1080/14681994.2019.1577961 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
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The Traumatic Nature of Disclosure for Wives of Sexual Addicts
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Is romantic partner betrayal a form of traumatic experience? A qualitative study
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“This finding is consistent with previous research by (Carnes, 2018) and Johnson et al. (2001), who reached similar conclusions.”
Dailey, J., Timulak, L., Goldman, R. S., & Greenberg, L. S. (2024) · Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies · doi:10.1080/14779757.2023.2204480 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Johnson, S. M., Makinen, J. A., & Millikin, J. W.
- Affiliations
- University of Ottawa (CA)
- Virginia Tech (US)
- ORCID
- Johnson, Susan M.
- Venue
- Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2001-04
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 145-155
- ISSN
- 0194-472X (ISSN-L)
- 1752-0606
- OpenAlex
- W2136094912
- Cited by
- 337
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 15.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
- Keywords
- attachment injuries, couple relationships, attachment theory, abandonment, betrayal of trust, relationship repair, insecure attachment, relationship distress, romantic relationships
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Object Attachment, Psychological Theory, Couples Therapy
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