Abstract
The aim of this paper is to offer a preliminary description of our model of complex attachment in adult couple relationships that encompasses attachment theory and an object-relations, psychoanalytic approach to couple functioning. We draw from the theoretical and empirical bases of the Strange Situation Test, the Adult Attachment Interview and on data from our pilot-study-in-progress at the Tavistock Marital Studies Institute to formulate patterns of complex attachment in couple relationships. We introduce an instrument that we are in the process of developing in order to assess these patterns of complex attachment. We conclude the paper with clinical case material to illustrate the potential links between empirically oriented research and psychoanalytic frames of reference.
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