Page 13 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 15

Steven L. Voss (USA) Steven Voss is a

Father Attachment and psychology pro-

Implications for Faith and fessor and licensed
psychotherapist.
the Church He teaches at Han-
nibal-LaGrange
University in Han-
I often work with individuals who describe a nibal, Missouri,

fear of getting close to others. Even within the USA.

marriage, the client may lack a complete trust Dr. Voss has re-
for their spouse. This is often expressed in search interests in
statements such as, “I just don’t like that much attachment theory, the psychology of re-
closeness,” or “I need my space more than he ligion, and the integration of psycholo-
does.” Preferences for closeness in human rela- gy and theology. He maintains a private

tionships can be from multiple sources, many practice and sees clients weekly. When not
of which are simple personality differences. working, he enjoys wilderness adventure,
Yet, one explanation I often find among per- travel, and spending time with family.
sons seeking therapy is that they have been Former contribution in our eJournal by
wounded from a previous relationship. Further Steven you can see her:
exploration typically finds that the person had https://emcapp.ignis.de/14/#p=12
someone, such as a parent or close friend in
childhood, abandon them. The abandonment Author Note
does not have to be intentional. Sometimes, it This article includes research findings
was through divorce. Other times, it may have from a doctoral dissertation by Voss
been through death. Unfortunately, it some- (2019). The dissertation is available
times is through abuse and emotional injury through ProQuest.
from a parent. Regardless, the result is that fu- Correspondence concerning this article
ture trust in relationships may be impaired. should be addressed to Steven L. Voss,
As a clinician, I often help persons work Hannibal-LaGrange University, Depart-
through their anxieties and resistance for clo- ment of Psychology, 2800 Palmyra Road,
seness in their relationships. Doing so can Hannibal, Missouri 634041, United States.
increase the quality and intimacy of the rela- SVoss@hlg.edu
tionship. Ultimately, though, the resistance
to get close is communicated in the form of
statements such as, “But I don’t want to get Attachment Theory: A Brief Review
hurt again,” or “I don’t want to set myself up Bowlby suggested that we develop an internal
for disappointment.” I have also heard various working model that impacts the trust level we
versions of “Ever since my dad left when I was a have for our caregivers (Bowlby, 1969, 1973,
little kid, I decided to do life myself. Trust only 1980). His development of the internal working
gets you hurt.” Such statements reflect what model predated how we now understand the
John Bowlby (1969, 1980) referred to as attach- brain to wire around experiences in our lives
ment. Attachment is essentially experienced as (see Cozolino, 2014 for a summary). The brain
the trust one has for another person. Reflected circuitry, once wired, will continue to respond
in the client’s quote, there is a desire to not trust in the way it was wired. This pattern continues
as it may lead to hurt, disappointment, or more into adulthood and becomes known as an adult
loss. attachment style. Research has shown there

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