Self-protective strategies are adaptive and increasingly complex: A beginner’s look at the DMM and ABCD models of attachment

Abstract

Clinicians understand the importance of their clients' past relationships on current functioning. The notion of attachment disorganization is especially salient to many clinicians because based on the traditional model of attachment it is the category in which clients with a history of relational trauma are most likely to fall. Unfortunately, lumping together what so many clinicians feel is clinically important may not inform clinical practice and the process by which attachment is assessed is beyond the reach of many clinicians. A different model of attachment, the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation offers a new lens through which to view relational trauma and to understand the ways in which danger is processed. This article describes the similarities and differences in the two models of attachment.