ATTACHMENT TO THE ABUSER - INTEGRATING OBJECT-RELATIONS AND TRAUMA THEORIES IN TREATMENT OF ABUSE SURVIVORS

Attachment to the abuser often occurs when the primary caretaker of an abuse survivor was abusive. Attachment and object-relations theories help to explain this attachment and can inform the treatment of survivors. These theories are integrated with current knowledge of posttraumatic stress disorder and dissociation to explain the defenses used by survivors to maintain attachment to the abuser and to clarify patterns of attachment in survivors' adult relationships. This integration of theories informs the pacing of treatment and offers insight into transference and countertransference issues.