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Reflective capacity and its significance to the attachment concept of the self
Author(s) -
West Malcolm L.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1997.tb01882.x
Subject(s) - psychology , attachment theory , salient , product (mathematics) , self , social psychology , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , computer science , geometry , mathematics , artificial intelligence
Attachment writing about the self systematically regards the working model of the self as a social product. At the same time, reflective self‐capacity is regarded as a particularly salient aspect of the individual's current state of mind with respect to attachment. Additionally, evidence has accumulated that some individuals have been able to create a coherent working model of the self despite a history of negative attachment experiences. This paper proposes that in these circumstances it is necessary to conceive of a private self through which the history of attachment experiences may be creatively transformed.