The relevance of attachment theory to a contemporary Jungian view of the internal world: internal working models, implicit memory and internal objects

Abstract

In this paper I examine the various meanings of the term 'internal object' and the differences between various theoretical models for the formation of internal objects. I suggest that the idea in attachment theory of 'internal working models' emphasizes the internal world as one consisting of unconscious internalized patterns of emotional relationships. The term 'internal object' lacks this clarity and the different meanings it carries within differing theoretical frameworks are a source of confusion. I describe the role implicit memory plays in the formation of 'internal working model's and suggest that these offer us an alternative explanation for unconscious fantasy and for object relationships to that of instinctual drives. This model is then brought to bear on contemporary Jungian concepts of the internal world, with a suggestion that, seen in this light, Jung's formulation of the concept of the complex has many features in common with the 'internal working model' of attachment theory.

To Have and Have Not: Adaptive Bereavement by Transforming Mental Ties to the Deceased

“…For conceptual clarification, Knox (1999) suggested to characterize the concepts of mental representations, internalized relationships, and internal working models on three dimensions: (a) stored in explicit versus implicit memory, (b) conscious versus unconscious, and (c) representations of events, images, or episodes versus generalized experiences. He distinguished between representations of events, images, and experiences that are stored in declarative memory (and thus can be consciously retrieved) and internalized relationships and internal working models that are stored in implicit memory, reflecting generalized experiences of which a person is usually not aware.…”

“…''). During the process of internalizing representations, on the other hand, repeated single experiences are turned into one generalized script, that is, a general set of expectations, attitudes, or ways of perceiving and interpreting experiences (e.g., attachment styles, value/belief systems, or internal working models of daily life situations).These cannot be activated by simple recall or recognition (Knox, 1999;Meissner, 1980).…”

The Affective Component of Secure Base schema in a Japanese and a Chinese sample: Evidence from Affective Priming Paradigm

“…The associative processing in secure base schema may be considered as knowledge of "how to be with someone" (Lyons-Ruth, 1998;Davis, 2001). It includes some implicit relational expectations, emotional responses, skills and habits that are elaborated and modified in important relationships during the life course, e.g., knowing how to express affection and how to get attention (Davis, 2001;Knox, 1999Knox, , 2001Knox, , 2003. It cannot be shared with others, and may never become symbolically coded.…”

Relational trauma: Using play therapy to treat a disrupted attachment

“…A secure attachment involves having an internal working model of one's caregiver as responsive and reliable and of oneself as deserving of love and attention (Ainsworth, 1979;Bowlby, 1969;Knox, 1999). A child with an insecure attachment may alternatively have an internal working model that depicts his caregiver as unresponsive, his environment as dangerous or threatening, and himself as fundamentally undeserving of love and a secure attachment (Ainsworth, 1979;Bowlby, 1969;Knox, 1999).…”

“…A child with an insecure attachment may alternatively have an internal working model that depicts his caregiver as unresponsive, his environment as dangerous or threatening, and himself as fundamentally undeserving of love and a secure attachment (Ainsworth, 1979;Bowlby, 1969;Knox, 1999).…”